


Until the Last Breath

by byunbbhyun, realakkuma__pcy



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Appearances by ex-members, Blood and Gore, Death, Established Relationship, Homophobia, Horror, M/M, Miscarriage, Mpreg, Romance, Sex, Violence, minor Oh Sehun/Kim Joonmyun/Kim Jongdae
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-06-06 00:15:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15182513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/byunbbhyun/pseuds/byunbbhyun, https://archiveofourown.org/users/realakkuma__pcy/pseuds/realakkuma__pcy
Summary: The world falls apart at exactly 2:03pm on Byun Baekhyun's 33rd birthday, in an amusement park of all places.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! We're so grateful for the support on our first fic, and we've been working hard to be able to post more. This is a bit different from that one, definitely a lot darker, but we hope you'll enjoy it anyway. Like that one, this was originally written as a roleplay, so the pov alternates between characters. Things like medical knowledge, geography and such may not be completely accurate, we did our best but we may have gotten some things wrong and/or tweaked them for the sake of plot, so please forgive us!

Today is a great day, Baekhyun thinks. The weather is nice, the atmosphere is good, and most importantly, he's walking side by side with his husband, hand in hand, enjoying an entire day together for the first time in a while. Often their schedules conflict, but not today. Today is Baekhyun's birthday, and to celebrate, he and Chanyeol are on a date at Everland. It's probably a little silly at their age, but they don't care. The important part is being together and having fun, and they've spent the day doing exactly that. The day isn't even over, but it's already been amazing, and Baekhyun is excited for what the rest of it has in store. More rides, hopefully more yummy food, maybe some couple shirts, and of course - going home to spend their _night_ together too. Though... birthday activities aren't the only reason he's so excited and in a good mood. Chanyeol always likes to plan surprises for him on his birthday, but this year, Baekhyun has one of his own that he's been dying to share since he found out two days ago. He'd been tempted to just run and share the news right then, of course, but then he thought about their special plans for today and it just seemed right to wait for the perfect moment. That said, as the day has gone on, he's found it harder and harder to keep quiet, even though his original plan was to tell Chanyeol later at dinner. Now, as they're walking past one of the childrens' rides, hearing all the laughter and happy screams... Baekhyun can't hold back anymore. He's so happy, and he wants to share that happiness with the person he loves most in the world.

 

“Chanyeol, can we... talk for a moment?” Baekhyun asks shyly, nodding towards a nearby bench. He can't help being a little nervous, even though he knows they both want this. They were trying, after all, it's just... very big.

 

“Oh? Sure...?” Chanyeol is a little surprised and confused when Baekhyun shyly asks him to talk, since when did he even ask or get shy or...? He figures it's better not to question though, it's his birthday after all, he can do whatever he wants. With that in mind Chanyeol follows him to the bench, Baekhyun looks horribly nervous and honestly it kind of worries him. “What is it...? Is everything okay...?” He gently takes Baekhyun's hand just as reassurance that everything is going to be alright, whatever it is.

 

“Yeah, of course...” Baekhyun assures with a smile, squeezing Chanyeol's hand lightly. “Don't worry, it's nothing bad, at least I don't think it is. It's just... ah...” He laughs a little, “how do I say this? The thing is...” Baekhyun pauses for a second, thinking of all the different ways he could phrase it, but in the end, he decides he should just say it clearly. “Well, I'm p – ” Except, he barely gets out two more words before he's distracted by some commotion off to the side. Baekhyun turns to look on instinct, not entirely sure what caught his attention, but he just suddenly has the feeling that something is off. The noise around them doesn't seem like mindless chatter anymore, and the crowd seems to be... moving differently than before. Some people are still walking along, minding their own business, as the two of them had been doing, but others seem to be gathering towards an area a little ways away. Among that group, some seem very... panicked? And then someone _screams_. Not like the kind you might hear coming from the roller coasters, but a true scream of fear and horror. It makes his blood run cold, his entire body overcome with the feeling that something is very, very wrong. “Yeol... what's going on...?” His eyes scan the crowd, trying to find the source as he hears more panicked voices and shouting.

 

Chanyeol notices it too, the way people suddenly seem to rush towards a certain direction, and then there is a horrible scream. He tightens his grip on Baekhyun's hand, standing up to see better. There are security guards - armed security guards - running to the area of the entrance not too far from them. One of them shoots somebody but instead of a scream and the fall of a dead body, there is a loud growl as the person - whoever... _whatever_ it is that got shot - just jumps the guard. Chanyeol's eyes widen in horror. “I... there is... something... we need to get away from here-- ” But as he says it more and more people come running through, panicking, scared, somebody pushes him and he almost loses his balance, losing his grip on Baekhyun's hand as he does. It's only for a second before he attempts to grab it again, looking up when he can't find it, but Baekhyun isn't by his side anymore.

 

“Baek!!! Baekhyun!” He calls, trying to make his way through as he looks around. For a moment he can see him, he tries getting through the crowd to get to him but it's useless, everyone is pushing and running. There are more screams, more gunshots.... more growls. Fuck, this can't be good. He locks in on a rather empty spot to the side, where people aren't trying to push their way through and somehow manages to slide in there and hide behind the wall. His instincts tell him he needs to be ready for anything, so he looks around - there is a large half open trash bin behind him and there is some kind of metal rod sticking out of it. It's rusty and he isn't even sure what it is, probably some part they had to change or whatever, but it should work for now so he grabs it and pulls it out, careful to make sure there is nothing sharp that sticks out and could hurt his hand as he does. He then presses his back to the wall, looking out - there are less people running near him now, most of them are near the entrance but there are some running in the opposite direction - his direction. None of them are Baekhyun but.... then it happens - one of them growls loudly as he - it? - jumps another one, and Chanyeol's eyes widen. It's... trying to eat the other person...? Oh fuck.

 

Baekhyun can't see as well as Chanyeol over the crowd, but he hears it - the gunshot, the growl, the horror in Chanyeol's voice when he says they need to go. They try, but there are people running and pushing in every direction. Some are trying to go towards the entrance, some are just trying to run away from whatever is happening, find other exits maybe, and as people continually bump into them, their hands slip away from each other. Baekhyun tries to push his way forward, catch Chanyeol's hand again, but it's impossible. There are way too many people, and he's swept away into the crowd within seconds. All he can do at first is focus on not getting knocked over, running with the flow of the crowd to avoid getting trampled. He does his best to stay calm and not let the fear overtake him, but it's hard when there's so much screaming, multiple gunshots and _growling_ _,_ and he doesn't know where Chanyeol is or if he's okay. Baekhyun needs to find him, but it's impossible like this.

 

He curls a protective arm around his stomach as people keep bumping into him, scanning around for an opening as the crowd begins to thin out a little. It takes some careful maneuvering and patience, but being small helps, and eventually he manages to slip off to the side behind a little food stand. He stands there for a moment, leaning against it, trying to take in the situation and think. There are less people, and he assumes that many managed to get to the entrance by now, which is also likely where he wants to go. If he got pushed back, his best guess is that Chanyeol got pushed the other way, and meeting there makes sense if they're going to get out of here. However... a lot of people also seem to be running _from_ that direction, even more than there were before. Almost... almost like they're running away from something. He swallows nervously at that thought. He didn't really see, but the growling... it didn't sound human at all. He needs to find his husband, now.

 

Baekhyun moves as quickly as he can back towards where they were before, this time sticking to the side away from the main path, along the edges of the various buildings and stands and whatever else he can find to separate him from the insanity. The further he goes though, the more alarming the situation becomes. He sees less people running, most of them either further behind him by now or already at the entrance ahead. Instead... there are bodies. Baekhyun doesn't know if they're dead or just unconscious, he assumes most of them got pushed down and trampled in the chaos, but either way, there are a number of people just lying on the ground and it's more than a little disturbing. That's not the worst thing, though. As he keeps going, the growling returns, louder now, like there are more of... whatever is doing it. It almost makes him turn back, find somewhere to hide, but he can't - he has to find Chanyeol. Then he finally sees it. The people who are still running now, there's no direction anymore, they're just... running away. From other people. Except... they're not people, are they? The ones doing the chasing are the source of those horrible growls, and they look... deranged, mindless, almost like... Baekhyun doesn't even want to think the word, but he can see wounds on some of them - bloody bite marks, gunshot wounds, things that should be debilitating, and yet they're still running along, growling, chasing the other people.

 

He knows what's going to happen before it does, but he's too far away, he's not armed, there's nothing he can possibly do about it even if he wasn't frozen in fear. One of them manages to get ahold of a woman, she screams, struggles, and then... it, _it_ , because that can't be a human being anymore, it bites a chunk right out of her neck. The people around her just keep running, hoping to save their own lives, but there are more of them, whatever that thing is, and it soon turns into a complete bloodbath. Baekhyun doesn't have time to be horrified by it though, because suddenly he hears one of those awful growls a little too close for comfort. Oh god. He doesn't look for the source, he just runs. He's not far from the entrance now and he just has to hope that Chanyeol is okay, that he's near, that they can find each other somehow. Baekhyun spares only a small thought for the other people around him. He feels terrible for the lives lost, of course he does, but there's no time to worry about it now. There's no time to be a hero. His husband and his child are all that matter right now - they're the only ones he can try to save.

 

Chanyeol figures his best shot at finding Baekhyun is to get to the entrance, he knows Baekhyun wouldn't leave without him. He just hopes they can find each other soon, he needs to get Baekhyun out of there, away from the danger. He doesn't like what he's seeing, _at all_. He makes careful steps, still close to the wall, walking towards the entrance in an attempt to keep low. He can see more of those _things_ attacking people, more people trying to run away, and his initial instinct is to rush in and help but his priority is Baekhyun right now. He is not a soldier anymore, and as much as he'd like to help others, there probably isn't much to do like this. He is about to move to hide behind another food cart when there is a loud growling from inside the building behind him, then the sound of breaking glass. He sharply turns around just in time to see __it_ _ going forward, pieces of glass sticking into its flesh as it launches at him. Chanyeol manages to knock it away with the rod and it falls to the ground, then stands up again. There are more behind it, the other one looks like it used to be a... a _child._ It hurts Chanyeol just to think about it as he hits the first one again with all his force, making it fly back and fall to the ground. Then he crushes the metal into the smaller thing's head and he can literally hear it cracking, but that doesn't stop it from growling again, trying to get back up and attack him. Chanyeol stabs the rod into its flesh, right into the torso, blood splashing out as he pulls it back but the metal is long enough for the blood not to reach Chanyeol himself. It, whatever it is, drops to the ground too and Chanyeol holds the metal in front of him, sprinting forward as fast as he can before it can get back to chasing him. He needs to find Baekhyun and he needs to find him fast.

 

There are more of them as he gets closer to the entrance, he recognizes some of the people whom he'd seen earlier - the lady from the ice cream stand, the guy from the ticket booth, and they're not... they're definitely not themselves anymore. It hurts to see this, there are bodies on the ground, some of them still moving, some standing up and growling loudly before joining the search for something to feed on. In all the mess he tries to spot his husband and hides behind another stand, this time much closer to the entrance. There are less people fighting to get out at this point - those who didn't manage to get out ended up running in other directions, while some ended up on the ground, dead, unconscious, changed .

 

He only manages to hide there for a minute before he can hear the growling way too close, he turns around as fast as he can and stabs the thing with the metal with enough force to pin it to the ground as it struggles to get back up against the rod, blood gathering around it and spilling to the ground. Then he notices the uniform. A security guard. He glances at the guard's belt, where his gun is supposed to be - it's empty, but a moment later the gun catches his gaze, lying on the ground not far behind him. Chanyeol gives a quick glance around before rushing to grab it and sprinting further towards the entrance. He hides behind a wall of some booth, squinting in an attempt to find Baekhyun. He has to be here. He has to be somewhere here... he can't be... no... but as time passes and he still can't find him, Chanyeol makes sure the gun is actually loaded before going out from his hiding place. He scans the people lying on the ground, hoping he wouldn't... he wouldn't see him there. He can't... but he needs to know... he has to find him. No matter what. He hears another noise and turns to shoot a thing that's about to get to him right between the eyes. To his surprise it just... falls down. Lifeless. Chanyeol blinks. Huh. Good to know. He then proceeds scanning the area.

 

 _Come on Baekhyunnie where are you...?_ He tries to stay calm, dedicated to his goal but it's getting harder and harder as he shoots more of those off. He isn't sure how many bullets he has in there, he just prays it's enough for them to get away. To his luck he manages to get his hands on two more guns as he keeps going around, probably the same security guards who were trying to shoot the first thing off before. He wonders, only for a moment, how come some of them are dead while others are... well... turning into that, but he doesn't have much time to dwell on the thought as another one jumps onto him, right off the window of the second floor of the building next to him. Chanyeol manages to shake it off before it gets to do any kind of damage, it's much smaller than he is, and he shoots it in the head from behind and rushes away. _Please be here..._ He looks behind a food cart, behind a stand that was originally selling plushies... he's got to be hiding somewhere.

 

Baekhyun tries to stay hidden as he moves, not wanting to draw any attention to himself. There are more corpses, more of those things, and a lot less living people around. He hopes that at least some managed to get away, but then again... who the hell knows what it's like outside either? He's fairly sure he saw at least one of those corpses rise up and join the hunt... if whatever is causing this is spreading, changing more people, then... he doesn't want to think about it. He can't. All he can do is keep moving, searching, trying to stay out of danger, though its harder to look the longer it takes. The gore and death around him is bad enough, but he's terrified more than anything else of seeing Chanyeol's face on one of those bodies, or worse, changed into one of those things. Baekhyun needs him to be okay, he has to find him, he has to... he gets so caught up in worrying, scanning for just one face, that he loses track of his surroundings, doesn't hear the growl behind him until a hand shoots out from the broken window of the building behind him, closing around his wrist and pulling him back against the wall hard. It's quite literally trying to drag him through the window and he panics for a moment, heart racing, adrenaline rushing through his veins, but then his old instincts kick in, he remembers his training and manages to pull his arm back and elbow it hard in the face. The sickening crack of bone follows, probably its nose, but it's enough of a distraction for Baekhyun to rip his wrist from its grasp, and he runs before it can climb its way out of the window and follow, this time keeping more distance from the buildings just in case.

 

He needs something to fight with, a weapon, anything, there are too many of them around now - suddenly, he hears gunshots, loud enough to tell him they're not far. He'd heard them initially, when security was still trying to fight the things off, but there hasn't been anything in a while, so he assumed they'd all either given up or been killed or changed. But this must mean someone nearby is alive and fighting, right? No way one of these things is using a gun. Baekhyun moves towards the sound - it's risky, but maybe... maybe... he doesn't want to hope too much, but he knows Chanyeol is a fighter, he's resourceful, and he wouldn't leave without him. It could be... before he can complete his thought one of them - small, a woman - comes out of nowhere, rushing at him. He barely manages to dodge out of the way, but its attention is set on him and it's not giving up. It launches at him again and he manages to catch its arms, stumbling back as he struggles to keep the snarling, snapping teeth away from him. He kicks it hard in the stomach, knocking it back, but he knows that won't keep it off for long at all. He looks around desperately, backing away, _he needs a weapon_... but he finds nothing before it's back up, and a loud growling tells him there's another one coming from behind him. He turns to run away from the sound, away from the one that attacked him before, but there's only one direction he can go and he doesn't make it far before he hits one of the barrier fences separating the different sections of the park. Baekhyun turns, back pressed against the fence, breathing hard, staring down the two things stalking towards him, and thinks, _this is it... I'm going to die... I'm going to..._ He presses a hand to his stomach, eyes still desperately searching for some way out of this. He won't go down without a fight, at least.

 

Chanyeol keeps fighting those things off as he looks for Baekhyun, trying to save bullets as much as he can. And then he notices and his heart almost stops - bright orange hair in the middle of all the bloody horror, pressed to the fence, holding onto his stomach and Chanyeol really has no time to even think about it. He hopes it's nothing as he can't see blood, but those things are getting closer to Baekhyun and Chanyeol needs to get to them before they get to him. He isn't close enough for a clear shot, not with these guns at least, he needs to get closer, he can't risk hurting Baekhyun instead. So he rolls on the ground and sprints up to them, it takes three shots to get the first one down because he keeps moving and Chanyeol has to make sure he doesn't aim anywhere near Baekhyun himself. Once it's down he runs to the other one - the one that's right in front of Baekhyun and jumps on it, pulling it back and falling with it. They roll on the ground for one moment before Chanyeol is above it - he pulls the trigger, right into its head, blowing the thing's brains out and jumping away. He nearly runs to Baekhyun, eyes still trained on the area around them to make sure nothing is coming their way before looking at him. It's too early to feel relieved, they're still not out of this mess, hell, who knows what's even out there right now, but he's got Baekhyun with him now. That's the most important thing. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?” He scans Baekhyun from head to toe, looking for any visible injuries.

 

Baekhyun barely even registers what's happening, he just hears shots and then one of them is down and then - then a familiar figure tackles the other one, and Baekhyun doesn't breathe again until it stops moving, bullet buried in its brain, and Chanyeol is there and alive and in front of him. He's never been more grateful for anything in his life, and he can't help feeling a little bit relieved - the situation is still complete hell, but at least they're together now. That's something. “No... no, I'm okay...” Baekhyun replies once he's collected himself enough, eyes immediately searching Chanyeol as well... he looks a little worse for wear, like he's been fighting, but nothing is noticeably wrong. “You...?”

 

Chanyeol lets himself smile. “Good as always.” He places a gun in Baekhyun's hand. “Still remember how to use this buddy? I feel like we're going to need this.”

 

“Yeah, probably...” Truth be told, Baekhyun never really wanted to hold one again, but if that's what it takes to survive, to keep each other safe, then he will. “Yeol, what do we do?” He doesn't mean to sound as scared as he does, but... within the span of a couple of hours their entire world has turned into a nightmare and they don't even know how or why or if there's anywhere safe and... god, he didn't even get to tell Chanyeol about... but he can't now, can he? Not like this.

 

Chanyeol catches Baekhyun's free hand in his own. “We fight. We fight and get the hell out of here, there must be somewhere safe. They don't seem too smart, we just need to manage to sneak out somehow. It seems like they die if you get their brains, anything else slows them down or annoys the fuck out of them. We need to get the hell out of here and find a safe spot to see if we can get a better look at what's going on.”

 

“Okay...” Baekhyun takes a deep breath, the weight of Chanyeol's hand in his comforting as always. “Okay, let's go then.”

 

Chanyeol pulls Baekhyun with him as they start running towards the closest stand to hide behind it and whispers, “Look...” He points at an alley a little ahead of them, behind the stands. “The gate is unlocked, that's their staff only exit, I think I know where it leads... think you can run there in one go?”

 

“Yeah, I think so...” Baekhyun replies quietly. It's not that far, and he's not terribly out of shape. “What are you thinking?”

 

“I uh... used to work here. Long story short, the alley behind there, that's where they throw their garbage from the stands. But there is also a back entrance to a building just behind there. It's worth a shot, I don't think the main entrance is much of a chance now...” He glances at the entrance area, mostly surrounded by those things and corpses. “We just need to keep our eyes open and make sure they're not onto us.”

 

Huh. That's something he didn't know. But it's also not important right now - Chanyeol's right, there's no way in hell they can fight their way through that mess, this is their best shot. “Alright, sounds like a plan. Not many other options at this point.”

 

“Hey, Baek...?” Chanyeol looks at him.

 

“Yeah...?” Baekhyun turns his attention away from the alley and back to his husband.

 

“I love you,” Chanyeol whispers. “We're getting out of here, okay?”

 

“I know...” Baekhyun finally manages to smile a little. “I love you too.”

 

Chanyeol nods. “Let's go then. Ready?”

 

“Yeah...” As ready as he can be anyway. Baekhyun makes sure he has a firm grip on the gun, just in case.

 

“Now.” Chanyeol pulls Baekhyun with him as they start running towards the gate, he can hear a loud growl from behind him. He shoots over his shoulder and hits its forehead, making sure the thing isn't following them outside.

 

Baekhyun does his best to keep up with Chanyeol as they run, keeping an eye out around them as well. Chanyeol's legs are longer and he's always been the more fit one between them, but thankfully Baekhyun has at least tried to stay in shape over the years. He doesn't let himself think about the extra toll all this running is taking on his body, the way he's a little more tired than he would have been after all this a few weeks ago... there's nothing that can be done about it, so he just pushes through. As they approach the gate, he catches movement out of the corner of his eye to his right, and he hesitates for only a second, on the off chance that it's a person. It isn't, though, and it launches towards them with a loud growl, but instinct kicks in again and his arm goes up just in time, pulling the trigger and sending it crashing to the ground. His shot isn't nearly as clean as Chanyeol's, but he still hits the mark, and he's surprised enough with himself at that considering how long it's been. It stays down, and they keep moving.

 

Chanyeol passes the gate first, keeps it open for Baekhyun, shooting another thing approaching behind his husband. “Come on...” He says, pushing the gate closed the moment Baekhyun is out and leading him to the back entrance of the building.

 

Baekhyun knows it's not even close to over, but he feels the tiniest bit better when he steps out and the gate is closed behind him, leaving a solid barrier between them and the hordes in the park. That doesn't mean there aren't more out here, or that the building will be safe, but he feels less trapped at least. If nothing else, the masses are probably still focused at the entrance of the park for now and not here. “Careful...” Baekhyun whispers as they approach the building's entrance. Not that he thinks Chanyeol wouldn't be, but for all they know, one of those things is waiting behind the door to ambush them.

 

Chanyeol places his hand on the handle of the door. There is no way to know what's going on inside or outside of this place. He's quite certain whatever it is, it's not going to be pretty. They just need to find a safe place for enough time to figure out what's going on and plan the rest. He whispers, “Be ready to shoot when I open it?”

 

“Yeah...” Baekhyun readies his gun, bracing himself for whatever might happen. “Go ahead.”

 

Chanyeol waits for a moment, trying to listen to whatever might be going on inside but all he can hear is the wind around them, so he takes a deep breath and carefully opens the door. There is only dim light inside but enough to see it's a storage room. There is no one inside. He thinks there might be a restaurant on the other side of the door at the end of the room, perhaps a kitchen if he remembers.

 

Baekhyun scans the room carefully, searching for any sign of movement in the shadows of the dim light, but relaxes slightly when he finds nothing. This room is clear at least, and closed off, though he has no idea about the rest of the building. “Do you know what else is here?”

 

Chanyeol closes the door behind them, careful not to make too much noise. “There should be a restaurant, on the other side... I think there's a kitchen between here and the actual dining area...” He carefully steps forward, the door on the other side of the room has a small square window at the top and there definitely is a kitchen on the other side. One that seems like somebody has left in a rush. Perhaps, for obvious reasons, they did. There is still a pot on the top of the electric stove that seems to have overflowed, its contents dripping all around to the floor. And then he can see it. There is blood all over the walls, someone lying on the floor. He bites his lower lip as that someone, something , starts moving. He carefully steps back, presses a finger to his lips as he looks back at Baekhyun and points there.

 

Baekhyun quietly approaches the door, shuddering a little as he takes in the sight through the window. Not that he hasn't seen worse today, and really, they've both seen a lot of shit in their lives, but that doesn't make it less unnerving to watch as the thing gets up. “Is there a way we can take it out quietly?” He whispers as he steps back, “If there are more in the restaurant, or nearby, a gunshot will draw too much attention.” It was one thing in the amusement park, when the area was so open and they were everywhere anyway, but the goal here is to keep the place as clear as possible. Besides that, conserving ammo is probably not a bad idea. Who knows how much fighting they'll have to do or when they'd be able to get more.

 

Chanyeol scans the storage room, mostly it's food, which honestly they might need to consider for later if they can. But they need something sharp... something... and then it catches his eye - a set of large knives closed off on one of the shelves. He makes his way there, reaching up and as carefully as he can takes it down, placing it on the floor and opening the box. “Hopefully...” He takes out the longest one, “My aiming skills haven't gone too rusty?”

 

 _"_ Somehow I doubt they have..." Baekhyun can't help smiling a little. Chanyeol has always been, well, amazing at these things. He just never imagined those skills would be put to use in a scenario like this.

 

Chanyeol can't help but smile back, thinking for a moment then taking a slightly smaller knife in his other hand. "Open the door and hide behind it? I'll get this one..." He whispers.

 

 _"_ Alright..." Baekhyun doesn't particularly like the idea of hiding, but he trusts that Chanyeol can handle himself, it's just one of them after all, and... he isn't just worrying about himself anymore either. He won't be able to avoid fighting completely, but if he can be cautious, he probably should. So, he doesn't argue, just reaches for the door handle and turns to look at Chanyeol. "Ready?" As soon as Chanyeol nods, Baekhyun opens it quickly, staying behind the door as he does.

 

Chanyeol steps in carefully, giving a quick look around to make sure there really is only one - the one that's on the floor seems to notice him and starts attempting to get up but Chanyeol is fast, throwing the smaller knife right between the thing's eyes and stabbing it through to the wall. Chanyeol then hurries forward and uses the large knife to cut the head off, jumping back to avoid the splash of blood. It doesn't even splash as much... it seems somewhat thicker than he'd expect, and he's had his share of experience with wounds and blood. He holds onto the large knife, scanning the room and making sure it really is clear before going back to Baekhyun. "It's okay for now..."

 

Baekhyun enters the kitchen, a wave of nausea washing over him when he sees the head pinned to the wall, decapitated body on the ground beneath. He ignores the feeling, hoping it's just the blood getting to him and not morning sickness rearing its ugly head, and looks away, walking towards the other door instead. There's a small window at the top of it as well and he cautiously peers out of it, glancing around the main dining area. The place is a wreck, food scattered, furniture pushed over, broken dishes everywhere, likely from patrons rushing out in the initial chaos. There's also more blood, and a few corpses strewn about, but he watches for a minute and none of them seem to be trying to move, for now anyway. He wonders, not for the first time, why some people are just... dead, while others like their friend in the kitchen seem to be changing, but he supposes there could be many explanations and this isn't the time to dwell on it.

 

"Anything out there?" Chanyeol asks quietly as he makes sure to finally turn off that stove before anything accidentally sets on fire. He's a little surprised it hasn't yet honestly.

 

"Doesn't look like it..." Baekhyun checks again, scanning every bit of the room that he can see, but there's no movement. "Just bodies. Actual bodies."

 

Chanyeol carefully washes the blood off the knife and off his hands in the sink just in case, they can't risk it if that thing can pass on by blood infection and he has a bad feeling that it does. "It's weird isn't it? Some just... die? And some..." He gestures at the head on the wall, frowning. "Do you have your phone? Mine got shattered when everything started."

 

"The whole thing is weird..." Baekhyun laughs dryly. "We're living the plot of a bad horror movie right now, Yeol, this isn't supposed to actually happen." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone, surprisingly unharmed and still mostly charged since he hadn't used it a lot during the day. That explains why he'd gotten no answer the one time he'd tried to call Chanyeol, though he'd given up quickly anyway, no time to stand around dialing numbers when he was running for his life. He unlocks the screen and finds fourteen missed calls, three voice mails, and one text message. The calls are mostly from his mother-in-law and Yoora, a couple from other friends, but there are two numbers that stand out. One of them he hasn't seen in years: his old office, and he'd bet anything that he's being called in for duty. This is clearly a major crisis, and he did serve the military for over ten years. The second is from Kyungsoo, and if he's calling personally, there's probably a good reason. Baekhyun taps to open the text message, and sure enough, that's from Kyungsoo too:

 _  
_ _If you two are alright, and I'm sure you are, head for Busan. The infection hasn't reached there yet, we're fortifying the city and setting up a base for survivors. I heard they're doing the same in Incheon, but, to be honest, I don't think it will last. It's too close to Seoul. Just... get out of there. And be safe._

 

"Kyungsoo sent a message..." He holds his phone out for Chanyeol to read. "He called it an infection."

 

"Huh..." Chanyeol reads, frowning. What kind of infection exactly would cause... this ? However this whole situation is way too bizarre anyway, Baekhyun is right, it does feel like a bad horror movie. "Busan, huh? That's going to take some time... did anyone else call...?" He hesitates in his question, his family is somewhere out there.

 

"Your mother and sister both did, quite a few times." Baekhyun can't promise they're okay now, of course, but they must have been a little while ago at least. "I also got a call from the old office, so I'm guessing one of these voice mails is telling me to get my ass in as soon as possible, but the other ones might be from them, if you want to check...?" He hands his phone over - Chanyeol already knows his voice mail password.

 

Chanyeol takes the phone... the first voice mail is indeed the military calling for Baekhyun, and he's sure he has one just like it waiting for him. The second one is Yoora. She says they're fine for now, and she and their mom are off to Busan with an organized group secured by the military. She says she hopes they're both okay and to please let her know. When it's over he tries dialing her and his mom up but both go to voicemail. He leaves a message saying they're both okay and are heading to Busan too soon. He just hopes they'll get to hear this. Biting his lower lip, he looks up news. The information is mostly the same. Unknown infection, anyone who is still alive get to Incheon or Busan as soon as possible. There isn't much else. He looks back at Baekhyun, handing his phone back to him. "We need to stock up on supplies. I... do you think we should try getting home first...?"

 

"Maybe?" Baekhyun slips his phone back into his pocket, not bothering to check anything himself. His only family is right here, and he knows the news won't say anything else useful. Unknown infection, huh? Somehow he's not entirely sure that's the case, well aware of how the government is about sharing information. It's more likely they're just not telling civilians what it is, which means the only way to find out anything about what's really going on is to get to Busan. That's not going to be an easy trip in this chaos though. "It would definitely be better if we could pack some things to take with us, but we have no way of knowing how bad that area is until we get there. If the military is shuttling people out, then it might still be relatively clear for now. Think we can get to the car?"

 

 _"_ Good question... we left it in the parking lot, just outside the park. That's not too far from the entrance so... I wonder if we can somehow... if we're fast and silent we might. Better check how things are outside first. Though... we should probably look around the restaurant... need some kind of a bag. I don't know how long this shit is going to take, but there is food here, and nobody promises our apartment will still be as we left it when we get there," Chanyeol sighs. "And here we were going to have a nice birthday celebration for you..." He takes Baekhyun's hand. "I'm sorry this day turned out like this, love."

 

 _So am I..._ Baekhyun thinks sadly. He doesn't care about his birthday, that doesn't matter, but... they were going to be so happy. He was supposed to tell Chanyeol about the baby and they were going to smile and cry and start planning for the future, their own little family. Now... now he doesn't even know if they'll have a future. What if they don't survive? What if they do, but the world is irrevocably changed? Who knows how long this could go on, how different things will be, how bad it might get... how can he be happy about bringing a child into the world when it's like this? When all he can think about now is how much of an extra burden he'll be to Chanyeol like this? It's not fair, it's not fair at all, not for them, or their child, but... it is reality, so he tries to smile anyway, even though he can feel the prickle of tears in his eyes. He won't cry, not now. "It's okay... all that matters is that we're together, and we find a way through this. As long as we're together, it will be okay."

 

Chanyeol doesn't miss the way Baekhyun's eyes seem glassy, he knows he is trying to stay strong right now and he knows they have to but... just for a moment... he cups Baekhyun's face in his hands. "Hey.... we're getting through this.... mmm? We're staying together." He leans in to softly kiss Baekhyun's lips, hoping he can provide some kind of comfort.

 

Baekhyun nearly does cry when Chanyeol kisses him, all the emotions he's been trying not to think about since everything started overwhelming him for a second, but he holds back. "Yeah... of course..." He agrees once they part, managing to smile a little more successfully this time. He has no idea what the future holds for them, but he has to believe that it will all work out, somehow.

 

Chanyeol caresses Baekhyun's cheek. "It's going to be alright." He can't really promise this but he's not going to give up. They need to fight their way through.

 

"I know..." Baekhyun is well aware neither of them have any way of really knowing that, but it makes him feel better to hear anyway. "Now..." He takes a deep breath, steadying himself, getting back into survival mode. "Food. You're right, we need something to carry it in, so..." He cringes a little at the idea, glancing back through the window at the dining area, but it has to be done.

 

"Come on." Chanyeol is still careful as he opens the door, just in case something they couldn't see earlier is there. But there is none. "Come on..." They slowly make their way inside, Chanyeol still holding the knife in front of them. "There..." He kneels down next to one of the bodies, he was probably a tourist and his backpack is huge, good enough for them at the moment. Chanyeol murmurs a soft 'I'm sorry' to the body of the foreign man before emptying the contents of the bag on the floor. There is a passport inside, and he places it in the man's pocket. _Thank you_. He then takes the empty bag and swings it over his shoulder.

 

Baekhyun watches for a moment before looking around more, eventually spotting another backpack on the floor next to a woman. He figures they should take as much as they can carry, just in case. Chanyeol's right - even if they can make it to their apartment, there's no telling what they'll find there. He picks it up, setting it on a nearby table so he can look through it, but his gaze wanders back to the body. She looks... terribly young. Younger than him by at least five years, probably more. As he empties the contents of the bag, he finds a wallet, and the ID inside tells him she was 24. His heart clenches in pain at the thought of all the lives that ended far too soon today, all the ones that will continue to be lost, but he knows that dwelling on the sadness won't get him anywhere. He finishes cleaning out the bag, leaving a couple of unopened bottles of water and a few protein bars that were already inside, and turns back to Chanyeol.

 

"Let's look around the kitchen and storage room, take any dry and preserved food and water? Good old field food," Chanyeol sighs with half a smile.

 

"Yeah..." Baekhyun offers a half-hearted smile in return, then heads back into the kitchen to start digging around in the cabinets. He pulls out anything that looks useful and sets it on the counter, then begins sorting through it all to see what he can actually fit in the backpack. He steadfastly ignores the gruesome corpse in the room - the last thing he needs is to be sick.

 

Chanyeol sighs, following Baekhyun to the kitchen but he goes right to the storage room, there is more dry food in there and bottled water. Something tells him they're going to need as much as they can take. He sorts everything out until his bag is full and hangs it on his shoulders before going back to Baekhyun. "Everything okay...?"

 

Baekhyun is just about finished filling his as well, shoving a few more things in and zipping it before he looks up. "Yeah, fine... I guess now we scope out the situation outside?" He swings the backpack over his shoulders, adjusting the straps a little. It's somewhat heavy, but nothing he can't handle for now.

 

Chanyeol hands Baekhyun a knife. "Just in case, the less noise we make with the guns the better. Let's get a look at what's going on outside first..." He makes his way to the windows, the glass is a little darkened so it's not visible from the outside, but he can see the street quite clearly and its not pretty. There are abandoned cars everywhere, those things are wandering around them all over the street, some corpses are lying scattered on the road, it's not looking good. Not at all. "The main road is blocked..."

 

"Not surprising," Baekhyun mutters, walking up behind him to get a look as well. It's bad, very bad, but he didn't really expect any different. Most people would have just tried to rush down the main road without thinking, and all that does is create more panic and make things worse. "There has to be some other way around..." He takes out his phone again, thankful that the network is still working for the moment, and pulls up a map of the area, holding it so Chanyeol can see too. "What do you think?"

 

Chanyeol frowns, taking a closer look at the map. "Well... if we go the other way around..." He points at a smaller road, "I don't think people would have tried getting there... it might still be blocked by those... things but I don't think it'd be as crowded as out here. It's about a ten minute ride if we can manage getting through."

 

"It's worth a shot then... there are too many concentrated in this area because of the crowd at the park. We probably won't be able to drive forever, but I think the car is our safest bet at getting out of here at least, even better if we can make it home." Baekhyun sighs... all easier said than done. "We just need to make it to the parking lot."

 

"Yeah... you got the key?" Chanyeol looks at his husband, just to make sure they didn't lose it on the way.

 

Baekhyun is fairly certain he does, but he feels his pocket just to make sure. "Yup."

 

"Alright... are you ready for this?" Chanyeol tries to smile a little, hoping to encourage the both of them though there is nothing encouraging about this entire situation at all.

 

"As ready as I can be." Baekhyun does his best to smile back. This is the only thing they can do, so there's no use in fretting over it. They'll do it, and they'll be okay, there is no other option.

 

"Alright, let's try to stick to the wall as much as possible. Better if they don't notice... if they do though, run." Chanyeol holds onto the handle of the door as Baekhyun nods and then opens it so they can get outside. They start walking as said, as close as possible to the wall and as far as possible from those things, which seem to be mostly wandering around aimlessly. They manage to get through the entrance of the park rather uneventfully, though there is one of them still bending over a body, _feeding._ Chanyeol just places a hand on Baekhyun's shoulder so he doesn't look and encourages him to keep going. When they make it to the parking lot there are quite few of them inside - in some of the cars, trying to get through the broken windows but not smart enough to actually open the door or climb out properly. There is one standing _on_ their car and Chanyeol really wants to roll his eyes, but instead he gets a stone from the ground and throws it at it, sprinting up to it as it falls to the ground and cutting its head off just in time for Baekhyun to rush over to the car and open it.

 

Baekhyun quickly unlocks the driver's side door while Chanyeol takes care of it, using the actual key so that the beeping doesn't attract even more attention to them. Once he has it open he hits a button on the inside of the door to unlock the passenger side for Chanyeol, then gets in, slipping off his backpack and tossing it into the back seat as he does. He closes the door as quietly as he can, waiting for Chanyeol to get in before buckling his seat belt and slotting the key into the ignition, though he doesn't start it yet - that will also make noise. "Do we actually have a clear exit?" He glances into the mirrors, both to make sure they're set up properly and to check their surroundings. "The second we start moving, any of them wandering around will be on us."

 

Chanyeol scans the parking lot. "I don't think we have much choice in that either, we'll just have to run them over or shake them off, I'll have my hand on the gun just in case. Whatever you do, don't stop. I'll take care of them." Chanyeol grabs two of the guns he collected in the park earlier, there should be enough bullets to get home. Hopefully.

 

"Yeah... yeah, okay." Baekhyun feels a little nervous being the one at the wheel, but Chanyeol is a much better shot, and something tells him they'll need it. Once they're both ready, he locks the doors and starts the car. Thankfully the car that was parked in front of them is gone, so he's able to drive straight through, taking the most direct route he can to the exit, though he still has to wind through a few cars which means he can't drive that fast. One of the things - infected, he supposes - tries to jump on the back of the car, but he sees it in the rear view mirror and speeds up in time to avoid it. There's another one at the exit, just standing right in the middle of the road. Baekhyun doesn't hesitate, slamming on the gas and running right through it, sending it flying up over the windshield. Blood splatters on the glass, but not enough to block his view too terribly, so he leaves it alone for now and keeps driving.

 

Outside, there are a lot of them in the road, and quite a few stopped cars blocking the way, but fortunately, there's another route. The other side of the road, the one leading into the lot and the park itself, is much clearer - everyone was trying to get away after all, not in. Baekhyun turns, driving right over the grassy area parting the two sections, which thankfully doesn't have a barrier. It's a little bumpy getting over the curb, but they make it just fine. He continues down the road the wrong way and sees another larger group a bit further down, but there's a side street to the left right before and that's where they need to go. Baekhyun speeds up now that he has his destination, taking the turn sharply, shaking off another infected that attempts to jump the car. A few more turns and they're on their way through the back streets, around the main highway, and sure enough the area is much, much clearer.

 

The only problem they run into is when they do have to pass through a slightly more busy street, there are a number of infected wandering around - not the massive groups from before, but too many to just drive straight through without risking serious damage to the car. Making a bunch of noise could make things worse, but there's not a lot of time to really think about it, so Chanyeol just rolls down the window and leans out, gun in hand, expertly shooting down any that are directly in their path. Baekhyun books it down the road, ride getting a bit shaky as they roll over the bodies, but miraculously they get by without having a major incident or drawing a bigger crowd. He speeds through the next few streets to just to be safe, but the closer they get to their apartment, the fewer infected they see. They don't see anyone, really, it's just... empty. Baekhyun takes that as a good sign - hopefully, people managed to evacuate the area quickly, which means there weren't many people around to fall victim to the infection. Before long, he's pulling up to their apartment complex. "Well..." He says, letting out the breath he feels like he's been holding since he started driving, "We made it. Can't be certain about the inside, but it looks alright from here."

 

"It does..." Chanyeol is admittedly sweating and he's sure Baekhyun is just the same. He was stable shooting before but now that it's a little calmer his hands shake a little, out of his control. There were a few moments he was so scared they wouldn't make it, but they did. "I hope it's okay... though... wow Baek, have to say, you're a hell of a driver." He tries to joke a little, attempting get rid of those nerves.

 

"Yeah, well..." Baekhyun laughs shakily, heart still pounding in his chest. "To be honest I'd rather never do that again."

 

Chanyeol smiles a little. "Let's hope for the best then..." Chanyeol grabs the second gun from behind and places it in Baekhyun's hand. "It looks clear but... just in case? Let's get out of here." He grabs their bags from behind, giving Baekhyun the smaller one and hanging the bigger one over his own shoulder. He opens the door, and once he's out he scans the area. It's empty... for now at least, it seems safe. "Let's go," he says quietly when Baekhyun is out of the car too.

 

Baekhyun nods, walking around the front of the car and following Chanyeol up to the entrance. The main door is already open a crack, whoever left last probably in too much of a hurry to close it properly. They carefully push it open the rest of the way, guns raised, but the entry hall is clear, and a quick glance down the first floor hallway tells them it is too. A few of the apartment doors are open, some random items on the floor that people must have dropped on their way out, but nothing else seems particularly out of the ordinary. Their apartment is on the second floor, so they climb the stairs, checking cautiously around the corner as they do. There's nothing there either. The entire place, thankfully, seems deserted. The second floor hallway is just as messy as the first, but their door is still locked, and when Baekhyun turns the key and opens it, they find their apartment exactly the way they left it. "This is kind of surreal, " he whispers as they enter, eyes still scanning around for any movement just out of reflex. It seems crazy that they could have gone through everything that happened in the last few hours and then come home to their apartment like everything is normal, like it was all just a dream. Of course, everything isn't normal, and Baekhyun knows they can't stay here, no matter how much he wishes otherwise.

 

"Yeah...it is..." Chanyeol locks the door behind them before finally letting out a sigh of relief. "I..." He looks at Baekhyun, he can't help it, he needs to... he has to... he just pulls him closer, hugging him as tight as he can. There were a few moments today when he was scared shitless he'd never get to hold him again.

 

Baekhyun instantly relaxes into his husband's arms, burying his face in Chanyeol's chest, wrapping his arms around him too. God, he needed this. "Yeol... I was so afraid when I couldn't find you..." He admits quietly, finally letting himself be weak, just for a moment. They can't risk staying here long, but they're as safe as they can be for right now, and who knows when they'll get the chance again to just hold each other.

 

"Me too, Baek... me too..." Chanyeol presses his lips to the crown of Baekhyun's head. "I knew I'd find you though. I told you, right?" He brings a hand up to stroke his husband's hair. "I will always find you, no matter what. Baekhyunnie..." He tightens his hold a little, "I love you... I love you so much..."

 

"I love you too... more than anything. And I know you will..." Baekhyun looks up, smiling just a little. "We'll always find each other, but... let's try not to get separated again, alright? I don't think my heart could take it."

 

"Yes sir..." Chanyeol smiles, leaning down, just a little closer, their noses brush slightly. "Together forever... didn't I promise?" He brushes their lips together.

 

Baekhyun's smile widens. "You did..." He leans in the rest of the way for a proper kiss, both as a show of affection and to reassure himself that Chanyeol is really here, he's okay, he's not going anywhere. Together forever, nothing is going to change that.

 

"I wish... I wish we could just stay like this..." Chanyeol presses their forehead together, he doesn't want to part just yet... he __needs__ to feel Baekhyun. "But we should start packing, I guess..."

 

"Yeah..." Baekhyun whispers, though he doesn't pull away just yet. Part of him wants to just stay in Chanyeol's arms forever, but that isn't an option, and staying here for too long is dangerous. It's only a matter of time before the masses of infected overrun this place too. "We should."

 

Chanyeol leans in to kiss Baekhyun's forehead just to stay close for a little longer before he finally pulls away. He walks up to their bedroom, getting the box from the locked part of their closet, the one that has his guns, his bullets, and his collection of knives. He organizes them in a backpack, along with a few other things, hoping they can keep the car running for long enough. They should have some spare fuel that will last for a little while, enough for a trip to Busan in normal circumstances. Hopefully those... infected things won't throw it off. He is hoping there won't be as many of them once they get out of the city but there's no way to know. He zips up the bag and heads to the kitchen, getting some more bottled water and whatever food they have that can last outside for long enough.

 

Baekhyun finds a large duffel bag and grabs some clothes for the both of them, not too much but a few things to change into if they need it. At least it's nearing summer, so they don't need anything heavy. Once he's done with that he wanders around the apartment, searching for anything else useful. He takes a few maps from his collection, knowing they won't be able to rely on his phone for navigation for long, and with that thought, grabs a pair of handheld radios he happened to hold onto over the years. He prays they won't get separated again, but just in case, it can't hurt to have them - he puts one in Chanyeol's bag, and one in his. He takes the first aid kit out of the bathroom, fully stocked military grade of course, along with any other medicines they might need. Once that's done, Baekhyun does one more round around the apartment, grabbing a few more things, then closes up the bag and returns to Chanyeol's side. "I think I've got everything useful. Hopefully if there's anything else we need, we'll be able to find it along the way."

 

Chanyeol places the bag on the floor, taking the one Baekhyun is holding from him and lowering it down as well. He cups Baekhyun's cheeks and looks right into his eyes. "We'll be fine..." He isn't sure if he is saying it for Baekhyun or for himself, probably for the both of them. He leans down to softly kiss him, unsure when is going to be the next time he gets to do this. "Love you... so much..."

 

"Love you too..." _Both of you..._ Baekhyun wonders if he should tell Chanyeol now, while they still have a chance at a proper conversation, but... he can't bring himself to do it. Knowing will only make Chanyeol worry about him more, and they have enough to stress over as it is. He can't hide it forever, he knows, but... not yet. He just hopes they really will be fine, all three of them.

 

Chanyeol kisses him again, just one more for good luck, as a promise to never leave him, as one more I love you. When they finally part again he takes Baekhyun's hand in his, lacing their fingers together, moving their hands up between them so they can both see them. Their wedding bands make a little sound when they clash together as he moves, and he squeezes Baekhyun's hand a little. "Shall we go...?"

 

Baekhyun stares at their rings for a moment, thinking of all the promises they made to each other the day they got married, and squeezes Chanyeol's hand once more. Whatever happens, they're in this together until the end. "Yeah, let's go."

 

Chanyeol nods, his heart beating faster. He kind of wants to cry because... because he just wants to stay like this... with Baekhyun... forever... but they have to move on. So he takes Baekhyun's bag first and helps him put it on before getting his own, handing Baekhyun one of his knives and tucking a gun in Baekhyun's belt. "Just in case." He takes a knife for himself, a gun already on his belt as well, then takes Baekhyun's hand in his again and leads him out. He locks the door, hoping they'll maybe be able to get back here, one day. Finally they walk down to the car, still holding hands, still alert for any movement around them. It's still empty around when they get to their car, hands finally separating as they get in, but Chanyeol takes out his gun, just to be ready if anything happens. "Let's get out of here."

 

Baekhyun's heart feels heavy as he's forced to finally let go of Chanyeol's hand and get behind the wheel again, but he nods and starts the car once they're both settled in. As he drives away from their apartment, he hopes it won't be for the last time.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments and support! We hope you'll like this story as much as we do. ♥

Baekhyun has a fairly good idea of the city's layout in his head, so he doesn't consult any maps for now, figuring they can plan the best route to Busan once they've seen what the situation is like elsewhere. For now, he just focuses on getting to the city limits, avoiding the major roadways in case they're backed up like the others were and continuing to drive in the opposite direction of the mess they left behind at the amusement park. The area remains clear for the moment, but he knows those infected will keep moving, and they'll catch up eventually. 

 

The roads in general aren't as bad as Baekhyun expected they might be. Since the area, from what they know, was evacuated in an organized manner – hasty, but organized – most people either successfully got their cars out or left by some other means, probably buses run by the military. That means, with a few exceptions, there aren't a bunch of cars stopped in the middle of the street like there were back in the busier areas. It's a relief to be able to drive more easily and not pull all the crazy maneuvering he had to before, though it's still quite eerie to be driving on completely empty roads. Baekhyun can't help thinking there must be other people around, they can't be the only ones, but then again, maybe they're just the only ones crazy enough to come back to this area after it's already been cleared out. Anyone else who escaped on their own like they did is probably long gone from the city by now, or trying to get out through some alternative route.

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't take long to discover  _ why _ they may have taken another route. Baekhyun almost doesn't see the barrier in front of him, after half an hour of driving on autopilot and nothing eventful happening, and he has to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting it. The road is barricaded, preventing further passage, and Baekhyun recognizes it instantly as the military's work. They must have thrown it up on their way out, hoping to delay the infected in following them. This isn't good. It's not that high, but it looks sturdy, not something they could just run the car through without risking serious injury. They could climb it, probably, but he really, really doesn't want to give up on the car yet if it can be avoided. He glances in the mirrors, checking the area around them for signs of movement, but he still doesn't see anything so they might have some time. He highly doubts the military had time to put up a wall around the whole city, it's probably just a small section, so if they can find the edge and drive around... 

 

He backs up, turns down a side street, and keeps checking, block by block, hoping to find a spot where they can pass through. Baekhyun loses hope more and more as time ticks by and he doesn't find one, though. They can't keep at this forever, it's going to get dark soon, they're going to need a safe place to hide out for the night and something tells him this isn't it. They have to keep moving forward, and if they can't get past the barricade with the car, then... he hates to even think it, or suggest it, but they might have to leave it behind and walk. It's not impossible, Busan is far but the country isn't that big, it can be done, It's just going to be a lot more dangerous.

 

Baekhyun bites his lip, debating, watching as the sun sinks lower, but then he catches movement in the rear view mirror and he knows the decision has been taken out of his hands. They don't have time to find a way around, they have to move. "Yeol, look, behind us..." They're still quite a ways away, not an immediate danger, and there are only a few, but it's a sign that the area isn't clear anymore, isn't safe. "I think..." He swallows nervously, it feels even worse to say the words out loud. "I think we're going to have to climb over. We can't stay here any longer."

 

Chanyeol looks back over his shoulder, they're still far but it wouldn't take them long to get here. And if that happens... no. As much as it'd be easier to get around with a car, they need to get away and they need to do it now before these things get any closer. He looks around, there is a section just a bit further where the wall gets a tiny bit lower, he figures they ran out of time or resources but whatever it is that's a better chance of climbing over it without getting injured. He points over to that section. "Get us over there, we need to do this fast. Climb over as quietly as possible... if anything sudden happens, we shoot them and run the fuck away. I doubt there is much around the other side for now but better safe than sorry."

 

"Yeah, right..." Baekhyun agrees, pulling the car over as close as he can to the section Chanyeol pointed out before stopping and getting out. The immediate area is still clear, but he knows it won't stay that way for long. He walks around to the trunk and opens it to get their bags.

 

Chanyeol gets out and makes his way to Baekhyun, getting their bags on. He takes a second to improvise a way to tie two of them together so he can carry a little more, at least for now. They do end up leaving some food in the car, but they'll have to worry about it later. He waits for Baekhyun to get his bag on before pointing quietly at the wall. They make their way there and start climbing up, and Chanyeol can hear the growls getting closer as they hurry up.

 

Baekhyun hears it too so he climbs as quickly as he can, taking a brief pause to survey the other side once he reaches the top, making sure it's clear. He's about to throw his leg over the side when suddenly he starts feeling dizzy, and for a very, very scary moment he almost loses his grip. He manages to catch himself at the last second, heart racing, cursing his stupid body. He's had a few dizzy spells over the last few days, it was one of the things that convinced him to take a test in the first place but fuck, talk about bad timing. Then again, he supposes climbing fences is not exactly a recommended activity for people in his condition. Not like he has a choice. He makes it over and down the other side, dropping to the ground with a quiet thud, but his head is still spinning and he stumbles, barely managing to stay standing. He feels like he's going to be sick.

 

Chanyeol is the first to land on the ground, Baekhyun dropping down a moment after him. When Chanyeol finally gets a good look at him, the way Baekhyun is stumbling, looking so winded that he might fall over any moment has him worried - did he lie about being okay earlier? Did he get injured...? He quickly catches Baekhyun's hand to give him a little support and asks quietly, "Is everything okay...?"

 

"Yeah..." Baekhyun closes his eyes, swallowing down the bile rising in his throat, focusing on the feeling of Chanyeol's hand in his and nothing else. After a few seconds, the feeling passes, and the world isn't spinning anymore when he opens his eyes again. "Yeah, I'm fine, sorry. Let's keep moving."

 

"Wait..." Chanyeol takes Baekhyun's bag off him, just in case.. if he isn't feeling well he doesn't want this to slow him down and Chanyeol can manage just fine with three. "Better...?"

 

"Yeol..." Baekhyun frowns at him. "You're already carrying more than me, you don't have to do that. I'm okay."

 

Chanyeol shakes his head, taking Baekhyun's hand as they start walking again. "Come on... I don't mind, you can take it back later."

 

"Fine..." Baekhyun doesn't like it, but he does have to admit he feels a little better without the extra weight. "So, what now?" He glances around the street in front of them. They're not quite out of the city yet, so there are still a number of large buildings around, and though it seems mostly deserted that doesn't mean it is. There could be other people around that didn't manage to evacuate, or infected that found a way around the barrier or came from other places. "It's going to be dark soon, and I don't like the idea of not being able to see..."

 

"We need to find a place to hide at... it doesn't look like they got here but better get as far as possible." Chanyeol considers their options, there isn't really much to do honestly, Baekhyun is right it's better not to move when they can't see. And Baekhyun doesn't seem to be feeling too well... they need to hide somewhere for the night. Perhaps sleep in turns for a short while. "I think there's a small hotel just at the outskirts where the highway begins... if we can get there now... hopefully it's empty."

 

Baekhyun agrees that's their best option for now so they keep walking, as quickly as they can without making a lot of noise. It's mostly silent around them too, though they'll occasionally hear something way in the distance, and they don't see anything. Considering their visibility is getting less and less with each minute though, not seeing anything doesn't really make Baekhyun feel any better. The sun goes down completely before they make it, their only light coming from the moon and a few street lights that remain functional, and he doesn't think he's ever felt so jittery in his whole life. 

 

Thankfully, it only takes a few more minutes for them to find the hotel Chanyeol mentioned. It  __ looks _ _ empty from the outside, but there's only one way to be sure. Baekhyun goes first, since he's not weighed down by all of their stuff, gun raised as he carefully opens the main door. Lucky for them that the staff left in too much of a hurry to bother locking it. A quick scan of the lobby shows nothing, so they go about exploring the rest of the hotel, checking every room just to be certain. They don't really need any surprises in the middle of the night. Once they're sure it's clear, Baekhyun lowers his gun, turning to Chanyeol. "What room do you think would be best to stay in? I don't like the windows on the first floor, but then, if something happens, it could be harder to escape from the upper floors..."

 

"The second floor isn't too high up, we can stay there. Worst case, I've got some rope in the bag, I think we can manage that...?" Chanyeol looks up the stairs, it's not too bad, and the advantage of seeing the street from above also might come in handy.

 

"Alright then..." Baekhyun climbs the stairs, Chanyeol behind him, and begins searching the second floor hallway for a good room. Many of them are a mess, luggage left behind, things thrown about as people left in a hurry, but eventually they find one that looks like it wasn't in use before. It's completely untouched, bed still made, towels folded in the bathroom. "I think this will work for tonight."

 

"Yeah..." Chanyeol smiles a little as he finally lets off the bags, dropping them on the floor and reaches up to get the sweaty and sticky hair away from his forehead. "Looks good."

 

"Sorry..." Baekhyun winces when he sees how sweaty and tired Chanyeol looks, knowing it couldn't have been easy to carry all of that this far. He hates that it's his fault.

 

"Don't..." Chanyeol smiles softly as he walks up to Baekhyun, placing the back of his hand to his cheek. "Don't apologize."

 

"But..." Baekhyun sighs, stopping himself. It won't do any good, he knows how Chanyeol is after all these years. Instead he just walks closer, wrapping his arms around Chanyeol's middle. "I guess we should rest while we can... eating probably isn't a bad idea either," he says quietly, tiredly, the exhaustion of the day starting to catch up with him as he lays his head against Chanyeol's shoulder. Maybe they should try to shower, too, while there's still running water, but that might take more energy than he has.

 

Chanyeol reaches up to hold Baekhyun's head against his shoulder, gently, slowly walking him backwards to the bed, sitting down with him. "You can sleep if you want. I can fix us something to eat and wake you up soon...?"

 

"Are you sure? I don't want to just leave you to do things by yourself..." Baekhyun argues, but sitting on the soft bed immediately has his eyes wanting to close. He doesn't like it, doesn't want to sleep, but it's been one hell of a long day and fatigue is another fun symptom he's just going to have to try to deal with.

 

Chanyeol smiles. "It's okay, love... you look a little off. I think a little sleep might make you feel better..." He slowly wraps his arms around Baekhyun, pulling him down with him to lay on the bed. "Mmm?"

 

"Maybe..." Baekhyun mutters, not exactly wanting to admit that he's not feeling well even though it must have been obvious to Chanyeol earlier. The bed feels so nice though, as do Chanyeol's arms around him... maybe sleeping for just a few minutes would be okay.

 

"Rest well Baekhyunnie..." Chanyeol gently rocks Baekhyun in his arms, humming softly, quietly.

 

The humming makes Baekhyun smile a little, already half asleep. Chanyeol's voice never fails to soothe him, and this is no exception. He's completely out within a few minutes.

 

Chanyeol waits for Baekhyun to fall asleep, fighting off his own exhaustion before carefully disentangling himself, moving away, doing his best not to wake Baekhyun up as he moves. He wonders if there might be food at the hotel itself, they locked up the doors and checked the entire space so he might as well make a quick run for it. He gets to the dining room on the first floor and there is still food in all of the trays waiting to be served, perhaps they were preparing for lunch or dinner before it all happened? The food is still good though, it's only been a few hours, so he gets plates and trays and fills them with everything he can before going back, placing the trays on the small desk in the room. He goes back to get water, better not to waste what they packed as long as they can, and heads back to their room. He presses his lips to Baekhyun's temple before gently shaking him a little to wake him up. "Baekhyunnie... you need to eat..."

 

For just a moment, Baekhyun forgets everything that's happened. He wakes up to Chanyeol's voice, like he does almost every morning, feeling like he's slept for much longer than a few minutes. It all seems so normal. He smiles, opening his eyes to look up at Chanyeol... only to see the walls of the hotel behind him, not their bedroom. Oh. Right. Zombie apocalypse, or whatever the fuck is happening. He registers the rest of what Chanyeol said and slowly sits up, rubbing at his bleary eyes. "Food?"

 

Chanyeol smiles a little, sleepy Baekhyun is probably one of the cutest things he's ever seen, then again Baekhyun as a whole is. He drops a kiss to his cheek before gesturing to the desk. "Guess they were preparing for a meal in the dining room but got evacuated before meal time? It's all still good, I picked up everything that didn't have cucumbers in it," he chuckles.

 

"Thanks..." Baekhyun laughs, stomach turning slightly at the mere mention of cucumbers. Something tells him the little one doesn't like those either. He climbs out of bed and goes over to the desk, grabbing a second chair from the corner of the room so they can both sit. "Not half bad," he says as he glances over the selection, picking something at random to start eating. He's not really going to complain about food of any kind at this point, knowing it could get scarce soon, but especially not an actual meal - those are definitely going to get scarce.

 

Chanyeol smiles fondly, he's always loved watching Baekhyun eat... he's just too cute. With that smile he goes to sit on the chair next to him, joining him eating, only now realizing how hungry he really was. "Are you feeling any better...?"

 

"Yeah..." Baekhyun replies, wishing it weren't a half lie. He does feel a lot better after his nap, even more now that he's getting some food in his stomach. He's only a little tired, something he doesn't expect to go away anytime soon. But that's the problem... even though he's okay now, he knows none of it is going to go away anytime soon. He'll just have to do his best to push through, and hopefully not alarm Chanyeol too much in the process. "Much better."

 

They finish eating mostly in silence, too hungry at first to talk. Once they're both full though, still trying to pick in the leftovers, Chanyeol looks at his husband and smiles a little. "Should we take a shower? As long as there is still running water and all...?"

 

"I had the same thought..." Baekhyun grins, genuinely happy at the idea of an actual shower, of doing something normal together. He knows they probably shouldn't, should probably take turns and keep watch, but the area has been silent, they've locked the building up well enough... for just a few minutes, it should be alright.

 

Chanyeol grins, standing up and offering his hand for Baekhyun to take so he can get up. Baekhyun takes it gladly, letting Chanyeol lead him into the bathroom.

 

Chanyeol lets the water run as they get undressed, it's been a hot day and the water is hot so he has to adjust it a little before he leads Baekhyun inside. "Fuck..." He almost moans as the warm water hits his back, it feels so good.

 

Baekhyun wholeheartedly agrees with that statement as he steps in to join him. The water really does feel amazing on his skin, soothing his muscles, rinsing all the dirt and grime and sweat. He savors it while he can, no telling when they might be able to take another one, especially with hot water. "We probably shouldn't stay in here too long."

 

"Yeah..." Chanyeol agrees but... now that he has Baekhyun in front of him... he just wants to... just to... "Baekhyun I..." He shakes his head, they probably shouldn't, he moves to get the little sample soap bottle instead.

 

"Yeol?" Baekhyun questions. He has a feeling he knows though, the same thought has crossed his mind too. He knows it's a bad idea, but... moments like this are going to be hard to come by, and after everything they've been through today... he can't say he doesn't want it... to just feel Chanyeol.

 

Chanyeol looks down at his husband. "I just... it's your birthday.... and we were supposed to... I just..." He flushes, they've been together for long enough, he shouldn't be flustered but Baekhyun is just so...

 

"I know..." Baekhyun says softly, stepping closer, wrapping his arms loosely around Chanyeol's neck. He leans up, pressing their foreheads together, looking into his husband's eyes. "I love you."

 

Chanyeol lets his hands rest around Baekhyun's waist, smooth and soft as always... it feels like home. He drops the soap to the floor, it doesn't matter... all he can see right now is his husband, his Baekhyunnie as he looks into his eyes. "I love you too.... so.... so...." He leans in a little further, closer to his lips, "So... much...."

 

Baekhyun closes the distance then, pressing their lips together, this kiss much less innocent than the ones they shared earlier in the day. He needs this, they both do. He thinks for a moment about how grateful he is... that if he could have anything for his birthday, anything in the world, this is what he would choose.  __ Chanyeol. _ _ In all of his thirty-three years, nothing, no one in this world has ever made him happier, and he knows there's a real chance he could have lost that happiness today. The thought terrifies him more than he can ever put into words, and he's so, so grateful that it didn't happen, that they're still here together now. He doesn't need anything else.

 

Chanyeol feels his eyes filling with tears, the familiar burn in the back of his throat but he doesn't give into it. He doesn't want to think what could have happened, or what might. He has Baekhyun in his arms now, that's all he needs right now. Needs this so bad he is shaking as he tilts his head a little to deepen the kiss.

 

"Yeol..." Baekhyun gasps slightly when they break apart. "We don't have a lot of time..." As much as he'd love not to rush things, if they're going to do this, they can't afford to take it slow, not when being careless could get them killed.

 

"I... Baek... I want to, I do but... we don't have anything with us and I don't want to accidentally..." He hates having to say this, especially when he wants this so bad. Tonight was supposed to be the night they'd be making another attempt in... they've been trying for a while and Chanyeol had the night planned... but then everything went down, and this would be a bad time to risk this unprotected.

 

"Oh..." The words hit Baekhyun like a truck. Chanyeol doesn't want to... of course he doesn't want to, not now, that would be a terrible idea. It's rational, Baekhyun knows that, and he would agree, except... except it's already too late, and he can't deny that it hurts hearing Chanyeol say he wouldn't want it now. Of course he knows Chanyeol didn't mean it that way, he knows his husband would never reject him, or their baby, but it's still... god, how the hell is Baekhyun ever supposed to tell him? He feels a few tears drip down his face when he blinks, and he hopes that he can hide the real reason for them, or better yet, that the water from the shower will camouflage them. "Y-you're right, it... it's not good timing, but... I..." He doesn't know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that the only thing holding Chanyeol back doesn't matter, protection is the last thing they need to worry about now, but he can't tell him that either. "Please, Yeol, just this once... I need you..." He needs the comfort, needs the reassurance, because otherwise he's just going to break down thinking of all the complications his pregnancy is going to cause, of the hell that's waiting for them outside. He needs to forget for a little while.

 

"I... Baekhyunnie..." Chanyeol doesn't miss the tears, he feels horrible for what he just said. He didn't mean for it to sound like that. "Baekhyunnie..." He cups his face in his hands. "It's okay... it's okay my love. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... it's okay..." He presses his lips to Baekhyun's temple to hopefully calm him down a little. "I want this too... I  __ need _ _ you too..." His voice breaks as he says the last words, he really, really does.

 

"Then please... it'll be okay Yeol, please..." Baekhyun looks at him, pleading, hoping Chanyeol will believe him. They can't make things any worse, there's no reason to deny themselves this moment, even if he can't explain why he just needs Chanyeol to trust him on this.

 

"Okay..." Chanyeol says quietly, leaning down to kiss Baekhyun again, properly this time. He then gets Baekhyun to turn around and drops to his knees, spreading Baekhyun's ass and leaning in, pressing a kiss to his entrance before darting his tongue out to lick at the skin around it. Then he slides it in, holding Baekhyun's legs in place with his hands just in case.

 

Baekhyun shudders, moaning quietly when he feels Chanyeol's tongue inside him, one hand going out to brace against the shower wall. "Yeol... fuck..." He knows they need to be quick, but he can't exactly complain either... Chanyeol knows his body well after so many years, knows exactly how to make his mind lose track of everything else.

 

Chanyeol moves his tongue around inside, thrusting it in and out a few times before retreating, making sure to lick over the hole again before he carefully, slowly presses a finger in. Baekhyun isn't too tight, it hasn't been too long since last time, so he soon slips in another one, moving them around a little hoping it'd be enough. "Okay there..?"

 

"Yeah, yeah..." Baekhyun says, a little breathless. No lube and minimal prep isn't the most ideal, but he's not exactly a virgin and he's quite used to taking Chanyeol's size, so it's alright. He doesn't care anyway. He just wants Chanyeol in him before the universe decides to play a cruel joke on them and interrupt. "Just... I'm good, you can..."

 

Chanyeol hesitates for a moment, moves is fingers inside a little longer before taking them out. He knows they shouldn't stay there for long, but he doesn't want to hurt Baekhyun. He trusts him though, so he pulls his fingers out and stands up. "Not like that though..." He says softly, turning Baekhyun around to face him. "Come here..." He has to bend his knees to get his cock low enough to align it to Baekhyun's hole but it's okay, he tries to slide in as carefully and slowly as he can. The feeling of Baekhyun's walls tightening around him as he goes in has him biting his cheek from the inside - it's good, too good, it always is. He holds Baekhyun firmly, lifting him up a little, Baekhyun isn't too heavy, he can handle this.

 

Baekhyun brings his legs up as he's lifted, holding onto Chanyeol's shoulders, inhaling sharply as the movement shifts Chanyeol's cock inside him slightly too. Even like this, just a bit on the rough side, it feels good, being connected to Chanyeol this way. It's a feeling he never tires of, one that makes his heart soar, his body tingle with pleasure... everything with Chanyeol is like that, really.

 

"You okay...?" Chanyeol whispers, gently leaning Baekhyun a little against the wall for more support.

 

"More than okay." Baekhyun smiles a little, leaning in for a brief kiss.

 

Chanyeol kisses him again, unable to get enough as he starts moving, thrusting upwards, fuck...It feels so good... like... like they're back home, like everything is fine and it's just the two of them in their own world. He wants to cry, he really does because it's not... it's not where they are and the world is going to hell but for now... just for this moment, the feeling of being connected to Baekhyun... he can't hold it in, tears roll down his face as he holds Baekhyun tight and thrusts a little faster, deeper - the way he knows Baekhyun loves.

 

Chanyeol is perfect, as always, thrusts hitting him just right, little gasps and moans spilling from Baekhyun's lips as his fingers dig into Chanyeol's shoulders. It's so easy to forget like this, that the world is falling apart, that he's not pressed against the wall of their own shower back at home, the way they've done probably a hundred times. All Baekhyun can focus on in this moment is how amazing it feels, how warm and solid and real Chanyeol is, how much he loves him, how close they are... he doesn't even realize he's crying, that they both are, but it doesn't matter. They're the only ones in the world right now, and there's no need to hide how they feel from each other.

 

"Baekhyunnie..." Chanyeol gasps. "I... mmm... I love you... ahh I love you I love you I love you..." He keeps repeating it, still crying, never stopping his thrusts, he leans down to kiss Baekhyun briefly before pulling back a little. "I love you so much..."

 

"I love - ah... l-love you too, Yeol." Baekhyun nuzzles his face against the side of Chanyeol's neck, pressing little kisses here and there, lips brushing Chanyeol's skin as he speaks. "Yeol... Chanyeol... my love, my everything..." His voice breaks slightly with emotion as he says it, but it's true. He was always alone before, no family, nothing... until they met, and then Chanyeol became his whole world. "I love you... I love you," he repeats tearfully, feeling like he can never say it enough, like the words alone just aren't enough to express it.

 

"Baekhyunnie..." Chanyeol holds him tight, they're both shaking so he lowers both of them as carefully as possible until they're on the floor, just in case. They can't afford to get injured... he resumes moving, Baekhyun's words bringing more tears to the surface as he keeps whispering how much he loves him, not that he can ever put it in words. "Baekhyunnie... my light... I love you..." he cries. It doesn't take long in that whole emotional mess for him to feel how he is getting closer to the edge, and he holds Baekhyun tighter, dropping kisses all over his face, down to his neck and shoulder as he moves. "Baekhyunnie... Baek..."

 

Baekhyun can feel it too, he's close, they both are... this is about love, not lust, and he feels nothing but love right now, their heightened emotions amplifying all of the physical sensations too. It doesn't get better than this, being together as one, feelings out in the open, everything laid bare. This is just what they needed and he doesn't want it to end, but he knows it has to, knows they can't stay like this forever. "Y-Yeol, I'm..."

 

Chanyeol bites his lower lip, hoping to stay a little longer, to hold it out for a little more, but he knows it's impossible. "Baek - Baekhyunnie... m-me too... lets... ahhh... together..." He barely manages to get the words out.

 

Baekhyun nods, not trusting himself to say anything properly, just holds onto Chanyeol tighter as he keeps thrusting, more and more until finally it sends him over the edge. He cums with a loud moan, forgetting for a moment that he probably should be careful about the noise, walls clenching tighter around Chanyeol's cock as he rides out his orgasm.

 

The way Baekhyun moans, holding him tighter, and the way his walls clench around his cock is enough to send Chanyeol over the edge barely few moments later. He cums hard, buried deep inside Baekhyun's ass, Baekhyun's name spilling from his lips as he holds him tighter and thrusts a few more times, milking them both through their orgasms, wanting to feel Baekhyun with him for a little longer.

 

Baekhyun loves every second of it, the feeling of Chanyeol cumming inside of him, the way he keeps moving through it, holding him closer, that moment of being in perfect unison. He only has a moment to enjoy it though before he feels a sudden, sharp pain low in his stomach, and he has to bite the inside of his cheek hard to keep his face straight. Fuck, he forgot about that. Cramping after orgasm. That was another thing that convinced him to take a test - it'd been happening for a few days and it was quite concerning, until a quick internet search told him it was very typical in the early stages of pregnancy. He'd hidden it, not wanting to worry Chanyeol, and, well, now that he knows the cause, he definitely doesn't want his husband to know. It's totally normal, he knows that much, so he's not worried, but it hurts. Baekhyun doesn't really mind - he doesn't regret anything they just did, a little pain is most definitely worth it, but hiding his discomfort so Chanyeol doesn't ask questions is another matter.

 

Chanyeol doesn't miss the pained expression on Baekhyun's face and he freezes, concerned. "Baekhyunnie? Love what's wrong...? Did I hurt you...?"

 

"No, not at all, I'm fine..." Baekhyun manages a little smile as the pain fades momentarily - it comes in waves, but hopefully it shouldn't last more than a few minutes. "Don't worry."

 

Chanyeol places a hand on Baekhyun's cheek, slowly sliding out of him, leaning in to press their foreheads together. "Are you sure.? Is there something you're not telling me...?"

 

"Of course not..." Baekhyun kind of hates himself for the lie, and really, he knows he should tell, he's going to have to soon, but just... not now. Not yet. He can't do it. He just hopes Chanyeol will buy it for now, somehow... he's never been great at hiding things from his husband.

 

Chanyeol isn't sure if Baekhyun is actually telling the truth but he figures it's best not to pressure him into anything. Knowing Baekhyun, he'll come around, Chanyeol just needs to keep an eye on him until he does. "Alright..." He leans down to kiss him. "Let's have that shower..." He chuckles as he picks the soap up from the floor.

 

"Yeah..." Baekhyun laughs breathlessly, managing to control his face a little better this time when another cramp hits. "Probably a good idea."

 

Chanyeol carefully helps Baekhyun up, then soaps him up and washes his hair before doing his own. He's always loved this part of showering together no less than what they just did - spoiling Baekhyun, taking care of him - those have been his favorite activities in all of their years together.

 

Baekhyun relaxes under Chanyeol's touch, happy to let his husband take care of him this time, knowing it makes him feel better too. The pain fades completely soon enough, letting him at least fully enjoy the last few minutes of their shower. He's a bit sad when it's time to rinse off and get out, but they've probably stayed in too long already. For all they know, infected could have torn apart the hotel and they wouldn't have heard it over the running water. He doubts that's the case, but still, they shouldn't risk it any more than they already have.

 

Chanyeol wraps Baekhyun in one of the fluffy towels hanging on the wall, playfully drying his hair off before getting another towel and drying himself too. "You packed some clothes didn't you?"

 

"Yeah, a few things for each of us..." Baekhyun pulls the towel a little tighter around himself, trying to remember what he even packed. He'd been in such a rush, he mostly grabbed things at random... if this trip goes on for too long, they're probably going to have to find a way to wash what they have by hand. Not exactly top priority though.

 

Chanyeol smiles, kissing Baekhyun softly. "Always one step ahead..."

 

"Not really." Baekhyun flushes a little at the compliment, like he somehow isn't used to those from Chanyeol by now. "I just packed whatever I thought we would need."

 

Chanyeol grins. "The best of the best..." He sighs. "I... you know I was going to give this to you after dinner, but... we never got to that part so um.... I have something for you."

 

"You do...?" Baekhyun stares at him in surprise. It's not really strange that Chanyeol might have gotten him something, of course, but he didn't expect him to still be thinking about it now.

 

Chanyeol nods and opens his bag, then gets out a tiny sky blue box with a white ribbon on it and holds it out for Baekhyun to take. "It's a little selfish I guess, but...I figured you might like it."

 

Baekhyun isn't sure what he means by that exactly, but he smiles a little at the box - it's his favorite color, and thus, Chanyeol's favorite color too. He opens it carefully, admittedly kind of excited to see what it is... his heart flutters when he does. A pair of necklaces lay nestled inside, a circular silver pendant hanging from each one. Their initials are engraved on the front of them along with little hearts, and Baekhyun can see a seam running around the edges - they're not just pendants, they're lockets. He picks one up, opening it with trembling hands, that familiar stinging sensation building behind his eyes even before he sees... and of course, inside, is a picture of the two of them. Smiling, happy, oblivious to what their future held... Baekhyun closes his eyes, tears slipping down his cheeks. "It's perfect... they're perfect..." He whispers, clutching the locket to his chest. One for each of them... to always carry a piece of each other... it's almost funny, that Chanyeol picked such a thing, not even knowing how much they would need it.

 

Chanyeol wraps his arms around Baekhyun, holding him tightly. He wishes these weren't the circumstances he had to give it in, but that's what they've got now. So he just holds him tight and whispers softly. "Shhh... it's okay... don't cry... Baekhyunnie it's okay..." His heart breaks again at Baekhyun's tears and he can't help but shed few of his own. It was supposed to be a good day... but it's okay. As long as they are together it's okay. "I love you."

 

Baekhyun just lets the tears flow for a moment, leaning into Chanyeol's embrace, wishing things were different... but they're not, and they have to make the best of the situation they're in. He pulls back, fiddling with the necklace, wanting to wear it, but his hands are shaking too much to undo the clasp. "Yeol..." He chokes out, "h-help me put it on?"

 

Chanyeol places his hands on Baekhyun's first, hoping it'd calm him down a little. "Sure..." He says softly, bringing Baekhyun's hands to his lips first before finally taking the necklace and going around to put it on him. Then he goes back to face Baekhyun. "Hey... I didn't mean to make you cry." He gently wipes some of the tears off Baekhyun's cheeks.

 

"It's okay..." Baekhyun didn't mean to cry so much either, but it's hard not to when he imagines what their night was supposed to be like. It doesn't matter though. It's still perfect, because they're together, because Chanyeol always knows exactly what he needs, somehow. "I love it Yeol... I love  __ you _ _ ..." He takes the second necklace once he's calmed down and his hands are steadier, holding it up. "Will you wear yours...?"

 

Chanyeol smiles a little. "Will you put it on me..? I love you too Baek... I'll never say it enough."

 

"I know..." Baekhyun smiles as he undoes the clasp, actually managing to get it this time, reaching up to secure it around Chanyeol's neck. He trails his hands up when he's done, cupping Chanyeol's jaw, leaning in for a soft kiss. "Thank you."

 

"Happy birthday love..." Chanyeol smiles, leaning to kiss Baekhyun once more.

 

"Thank you," Baekhyun whispers again, lips brushing against Chanyeol's. "Now... let's get dressed, yeah?" He laughs a little. "Wouldn't want to have to run naked if something happens."

 

Chanyeol laughs too. "Yeah... I don't want any dead jerks looking at your cute little ass."

 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. "Somehow I don't think that's what they're going to be interested in... though," he mutters under his breath, "I guess it does have enough meat on it..." That's a disturbing thought, so he drops it, going over to the bag he packed their clothes in and picking out something clean for each of them to wear, tossing the larger set of clothing to Chanyeol before he begins pulling on his own.

 

Chanyeol smiles a little as he gets dressed. It's been a long day, but they can rest for now, just a little. He glances at his watch, there's still quite a few hours until sunrise. They can take turns sleeping, just to make sure nothing comes in uninvited. "Do you want to sleep some more...?" He is tired, yeah, but Baekhyun looked so bad earlier... he feels like he needs the sleep more than himself.

 

Baekhyun shakes his head. "No, you should rest... I at least had a nap, and you carried more than I did... fought more than I did too." He is still tired, yes, but he'd feel terrible making Chanyeol stay up even longer when he's obviously exhausted too.

 

"Are you sure you're okay...? I'll be alright for a few more hours." Chanyeol is still concerned about the way Baekhyun looked earlier, like he was about to faint any moment, he couldn't afford it... he couldn't let Baekhyun get hurt.

 

"I'm fine, I promise..." It's not a lie, technically. Baekhyun  __ is _ _ fine, for now, and he's sure he will be for a few more hours too. "Besides, I need to look over the maps, plan our route. It probably won't go as planned, of course, but I'd rather not just be wandering blindly."

 

"Okay..." Chanyeol smiles a little. "Would you..." He bites his lower lip, it's been a while since he went to bed without Baekhyun in his arms and he feels a little embarrassed to ask, it's been years since he had to... he isn't really sure how to phrase it.

 

"Hmm?" Baekhyun is surprised to see Chanyeol looking a little shy about his question. "Yeol, you know you can ask me anything..."

 

"I just..." He doesn't even know why he's so flustered. "Would you... wouldyouliedownwithmeuntilIfallasleep?" He says it so fast he isn't even sure what he said himself.

 

Baekhyun can't help it, he giggles - flustered Chanyeol is just too adorable. "Chanyeol, love..." He moves closer, gently brushing Chanyeol's cheek with one hand. "Breathe. It's okay. Try that again so I can understand?"

 

"I... fuck I feel like I'm twelve..." Chanyeol mutters under his breath and sighs. "I just... could you... maybe... lie down with me... until I fall asleep...?"

 

"Yeol..." Baekhyun smiles softly. "Of course I will, you don't even need to ask."

 

Chanyeol feels his face and ears heating up. "I know... I just... I don't know..."

 

"Come on..." Baekhyun takes Chanyeol's hand, leading him into bed, the two of them lying down next to each other. He wraps an arm around Chanyeol's waist, snuggling up to his side, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Good?"

 

Chanyeol can't help it, the moment Baekhyun wraps his arm around his waist his body relaxes as if by instinct. "Yeah..." He smiles at the kiss. "The best..."

 

"Sleep..." Baekhyun presses a kiss to his temple as well. "I'll wake you in a few hours, alright? For now, you can rest."

 

"Yeah... night... " Chanyeol barely whispers, the exhaustion finally catching up to him, he falls asleep with a little smile at the kiss.

 

"Night..." Baekhyun whispers, waiting a few minutes until he's sure Chanyeol is deep asleep before carefully moving away and getting out of bed. As much as he'd like to stay there, he's bound to fall asleep himself if he does, and that wouldn't be good. Instead, he quietly rummages through their bags until he finds his maps and a pen, then clears their dishes away from the desk so he can work. There's a good view from the window there too, so he can keep an eye out for anything strange. With that in mind, he begins pouring over the maps, drawing lines and making notes, trying to decide the best path. Assuming the infection made it outside of Seoul, which, considering Kyungsoo's note that it hadn't spread to Busan  __ yet _ _ , Baekhyun assumes it has, then they definitely want to avoid the bigger cities, anywhere that might have large concentrations of infected. That said, straying too far into the wilderness isn't a good idea either. They could get lost easier that way, not to mention they'll probably need to scavenge for supplies, find shelter... no, sticking to small towns is best, they should only do otherwise if they can't avoid it. 

 

His biggest concern is detouring around Daegu... going straight through would be the fastest way, but also probably suicide. They'll just have to hope there's a safe way around. If they're lucky, the mountains will keep any infected from Daejeon and the surrounding areas at bay. Though... even if they get past Daegu alright, the path to Busan still takes them straight between Ulsan and Changwon... Baekhyun sighs. Even if the military has managed to keep Busan clear, that doesn't mean the surrounding areas are, and if the priority was evacuating Seoul then that could still leave a lot of infected in their path. There's no real way of knowing until they get there, and he has a bad feeling that this journey is going to take a lot longer than they want it to. 

 

Baekhyun spends the next few hours alternating between staring out the window and staring at his maps, trying to think up as many strategies as he can to keep himself awake. The latter is getting increasingly harder though, and he catches himself nearly falling asleep at the desk a few times. Fortunately, he hasn't seen or heard anything on his watch. When it gets to the point where he can barely keep his eyes open, he decides it's time to wake Chanyeol, even though he really doesn't want to. His husband looks so peaceful, and he really deserves as much rest as he can get, but it would be bad for both of them if Baekhyun fell asleep on watch, and he doesn't think he can stay awake much longer. "Yeol..." He calls quietly, settling one knee on the edge of the bed, leaning down to gently run his fingers through Chanyeol's hair. "Chanyeol, love, I'm sorry but it's time to wake up."

 

Chanyeol wakes up a little disoriented. He had a dream... he can't remember what exactly it was... they were spending Baekhyun's birthday outside and then....oh. He opens his eyes only to see the white ceiling of the hotel room and reality hits him. It wasn't a dream... right. He frowns a little, still a little off from sleep as he sits up, voice a little raspy as he asks. "What time is it...?"

 

"A little after three, I think?" Baekhyun replies, glancing at the clock on the bedside table. 3:18. "Sorry, I didn't really want to wake you up, but I'm kind of falling asleep."

 

"Come here..." Chanyeol looks up at Baekhyun. "You can sleep now... sorry for sleeping for so long."

 

"It's alright, you need it." Baekhyun resists the urge to point out that four hours isn't long. He supposes it is now.

 

Chanyeol stands up with a yawn, reaching to pull Baekhyun down to bed. "Everything okay out there?"

 

"Yeah..." Baekhyun pauses to yawn too as he settles down on the bed, finding it contagious as the exhaustion fully catches up with him. "I haven't seen or heard anything at least. It's kind of eerie."

 

"Yeah... hopefully they're just stuck there... you should get some sleep, I'll take the window now." He leans down to kiss Baekhyun on the nose. "Sleep well."

 

Baekhyun smiles sleepily at the kiss, muttering a quiet 'good night.' He falls asleep almost the second he closes his eyes, having spent the last twenty minutes halfway there anyway.

 

Chanyeol can't help but smile a little as he watches Baekhyun relax. He makes his way to the desk and pulls out a charger he hastily packed just in case. As long as they have electricity he might as well use it, so he gets Baekhyun's phone and connects it. Then he goes on to look up the news. It seems as if the whole country has shut down - the latest news report is from just a few hours after this happened, telling everyone who can to get either to Incheon or Busan. International news doesn't say much except that due to a dangerous plague that has fallen on South Korea it has been closed down and all flights in and out have been canceled. He sighs, there is no more news from his family or Kyungsoo but he guesses service might be limited there at the moment, with so many people gathered in one place. He hopes they all got there alright. He really does.

 

He watches the street, thinking over everything they have been through today, everything they still have ahead of them. This isn't going to be an easy journey, he thinks, reaching up to touch the necklace... all he knows is that he has to protect Baekhyun with everything he's got. He is going to do that. They'll get out of this, they've been stuck in some horrible situations back during their service together, obviously nothing like this but... he needs to... he wants to believe they're getting through this. Whatever happens. They will. They always do. Before he realizes the sun is already starting to raise and the street brightens up a little. Still no sign of the infected which he hopes is a good thing. He feels bad about having to wake Baekhyun up but they'd better start getting ready to leave soon... maybe have breakfast together, fix something up before leaving. He doesn't want to leave Baekhyun alone here, not for too long, so he sits on the edge of the bed, gently shaking his husband. "Baekhyunnie... I'm sorry love, but it's morning..."

 

Baekhyun opens his eyes slowly, blinking a few times to adjust to the light. He feels like he didn't sleep at all, but he forces himself to sit up, knowing there's no time for sleeping in. The movement has him feeling nauseous, a little dizzy too, and he really hopes it passes quickly. "Good morning..." He makes his best attempt at a smile, but it turns into a yawn. "Everything alright?"

 

"Yeah... silence... not even birds..." Chanyeol leans a little closer and chuckles, wiping the drool off Baekhyun's chin with his thumb. "Sorry I had to wake you up... we should start getting ready soon though and I figured we might as well get ourselves a proper breakfast as long as we can."

 

Baekhyun blushes a little at the realization that he was drooling in his sleep, but nods. "Probably a good idea, best to avoid touching our supplies for now if we don't have to."

 

"Yeah," Chanyeol agrees. "There's a nice kitchen downstairs... figured we could move our things down and make food before leaving?"

 

"Sounds good..." Baekhyun drags himself out of bed, glad when he stands and manages to stay steady on his feet. Perhaps the dizziness was just from sitting up too quickly. He still feels a bit sick, but not enough to send him running to the toilet, so he'll take that as a good sign. "Guess we should start packing up then?"

 

"Yeah.... are you feeling okay? You're kind of pale..." Chanyeol looks at him, a little concerned.

 

"Am I?" Baekhyun smiles in what he hopes is a reassuring manner. "I'm fine Yeol, really..." He leans in to kiss Chanyeol on the cheek. "Stop worrying so much."

 

"Baek..." Chanyeol doesn't argue but makes a mental note to make sure Baekhyun eats properly. "Okay..." He sighs. "Let's pack then and get everything downstairs so we can make food?"

 

"Yeah..." Baekhyun sighs, knowing Chanyeol isn't quite buying it, but he doesn't know what else to say. After last night, after everything, he just can't... he pushes away that train of thought for now, moving around the room to help Chanyeol put everything away. It doesn't take long, they didn't leave much lying around, and soon they're making their way downstairs and into the kitchen. The hotel appears undisturbed, thankfully, everything still closed and locked up. There's no telling how much longer it will stay this way, but for now it remains safe.

 

Chanyeol leads Baekhyun to the kitchen, there's quite a lot of fresh ingredients they can use honestly, the kitchen itself is in really good condition too. "So... what would Baekhyunnie like to eat?" He smiles.

 

Baekhyun perks up at the thought of eating Chanyeol's cooking. He's eaten it almost every day of his life for the last few years, of course, but he never tires of it. Considering their options are probably going to become pretty limited after this, he plans to cherish every bite. "Honestly, anything sounds good right now. You know I love everything you make for me."

 

Chanyeol laughs. "Well... let's see..." He opens the fridge, looking through everything. "We have bacon? And eggs~ Can cut up salad and all too!" He grins. "Would that be okay?"

 

"That'd be amazing." Baekhyun mirrors his grin. He was concerned the nausea would flare up again, but the mention of bacon has his stomach growling in anticipation. "Sounds really, really good actually."

 

Chanyeol hums as he starts cooking, soon the scent of the bacon fills the room and not long later Chanyeol serves everything on plates, adding in some orange juice he found in the fridge. He grins at Baekhyun. "Eat up!"

 

"Thanks..." Baekhyun smiles gratefully before happily digging in. He's hungrier than he thought he'd be, considering they ate a decent amount last night, and he ends up clearing his whole plate rather quickly, downing his entire glass of orange juice as well.

 

"Do you want more?" Chanyeol laughs as he takes his own last bite. "Fruit? Salad? Anything?"

 

"Maybe?" Baekhyun grins sheepishly. He feels a little strange asking for seconds, but it's not like there's anyone else around to eat the food, whatever they can't use is probably just going to go bad and he is still kind of hungry. "What kind of fruit is there?"

 

Chanyeol moves to look through everything, it's quite stocked up honestly but the one thing that catches his eye has him grinning, he doesn't even ask as he takes those out. "Strawberries." He grins at Baekhyun.

 

"Strawberries?" Baekhyun asks excitedly, face lighting up at the mention. His favorite.

 

Chanyeol washes the strawberries thoroughly before moving them to a bowl, then takes one in his hand and holds it up for Baekhyun to bite on. "There you go~" He giggles.

 

Baekhyun happily takes a bite, nearly moaning at the taste. "So good~"

 

Chanyeol laughs, he's always said Baekhyun is always cute. But when he's eating.... there's hardly anything in this world that can beat this. "More?" He grins.

 

"Please?" Baekhyun knows they probably have better things they should be doing than sitting here while Chanyeol feeds him strawberries, but he can't help wanting to enjoy the moment for as long as possible.

 

Chanyeol is more than happy to feed Baekhyun like this, he doesn't know what's waiting for them once they leave this place but for now, for the short time they still can... he wants to just have this short moment of happiness last a little longer. He smiles and presses another strawberry to Baekhyun's lips. "Ahhhh~~~" He laughs.

 

Baekhyun giggles and opens up, taking another bite. These really are good strawberries, probably freshly bought. He wonders vaguely if whoever owns this place managed to get away safely. Maybe they can find them and thank them one day.

 

Chanyeol just keeps feeding Baekhyun strawberries, stealing a few kisses as he does, and Baekhyun actually manages to eat the whole bowl, the two of them lost in their own little world. When they're finished, he's finally full, though he also feels a little bad that they spent so much extra time because of him. They are on somewhat of a schedule - they only have daylight to travel, and they need to get to Busan as quickly as possible. Still, he can't bring himself to regret it too much. "What about you?" He asks as they're finishing up, "you just kept feeding me, do you need anything else...?"

 

Chanyeol smiles, shaking his head. "I'm good... well maybe..." He chuckles, leaning in to kiss Baekhyun properly. "Now I'm good."

 

"Yeol..." Baekhyun smiles softly at the gesture. "Yeol, I..."  __ I should tell him, _ _ Baekhyun thinks. He doesn't know where the sudden burst of courage comes from, but he knows this could be their last true moment of peace for a while... as scared as he is, maybe it would be better for Chanyeol to hear it now, and not while they're out on the road, possibly fighting for their lives. Baekhyun knows this, tries to convince himself, opens his mouth a few times to say it, but in the end... he still can't do it. The words just won't come. So he smiles again, and shakes his head. "Never mind. I guess that means we should be moving out, huh?"

 

"Are you sure...? Baek... I... is everything really okay...?" Chanyeol places a hand on Baekhyun's cheek. "Talk to me love..."

 

"It's nothing, really, I just... I... we're going to be okay, aren't we?" Baekhyun knows Chanyeol can't promise him that, there's no certainty in any of this, but he needs to hear it anyway, one more time before they go out there. Maybe that's why he can't bring himself to say it... it's hard enough, not knowing what might happen to them, but not even knowing if he can keep his own child safe? Baekhyun would rather carry that burden alone, Chanyeol shouldn't have to worry too... not about something that was supposed to bring them joy.

 

Chanyeol has to bite his cheek to stop himself from crying again, because honestly he is scared. Terrified. They've been through a lot together but this.... it's still hard to wrap his mind around it, he almost lost his husband - his entire life, his  __ everything _ _ yesterday. But he has to believe they'd get through this. They both have to believe they're going to get through this together and everything will be okay. He cups Baekhyun's cheeks in his hands. "Of course we are... aren't we always...? We're going to get to Busan, and everything will be okay... we can figure this out."

 

"Okay..." It comes out more shaky than he means, so Baekhyun takes a deep breath to steady himself. Chanyeol is right, they've been through a lot together, and separately, they can make it through this too. He has to believe that. "Okay. Then let's get going. We have a long trip ahead of us."

 

"Wait... Baek..." Chanyeol pulls him in for a tight hug. "It's going to be okay... you hear me? I love you Baekhyunnie..." He needs to say it again. Just once more before they go out and face whatever is waiting for them out there.

 

"I know, Yeol..." Baekhyun hugs him back with everything he has, wanting to hold on for just a second longer. "I love you too."

 

Chanyeol holds on for a few more moments before finally pulling back a little, softly kissing Baekhyun's lips. "We should go..." He says quietly once he pulls back. "You said you were going through the maps...?"

 

"Yeah..." Baekhyun sighs. "Not like we can really plan all that much without knowing what things are like out there, really, but I think it's best to avoid the major cities if we can, stick to the outskirts or smaller towns. From what Kyungsoo said and the little bit of news we got, it sounds like it hit the whole country pretty much, which means... well, anywhere with a lot of people that didn't get away in time, it'll be a death trap for us now. Unfortunately that means we can't take a very direct path, so this is probably going to take a lot longer than either of us hoped."

 

"Yeah..." Chanyeol frowns a little, Baekhyun is right... it's going to take longer but they need to be as careful as possible. "Where are we headed now then?" He takes two bags and puts them on.

 

Baekhyun picks up his own bag, feeling guilty again that Chanyeol is carrying more, but he knows he wouldn't be able to talk his husband out of it either. "For now, we just need to get out of the city..." The hotel is on the edge, but they haven't technically crossed city limits yet, and something tells him the peace here isn't going to last forever. When it breaks, they want to be as far away from Seoul as possible. "After that, we just keep heading southeast. If we can make it close to Yeoju by tonight, we can probably stop and find somewhere to sleep around there."

 

"Let's get going then..." Chanyeol makes sure they both have guns tucked in their belts and passes one of the knives he prepared before to Baekhyun, keeping another one in his hand. "Just in case."

 

Baekhyun takes the knife with a nod, tightening his grip on it as they exit hotel. He doesn't particularly like the idea of stabbing some poor infected person in the head, but he'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe through this, all of them. They make their way down the street, following road signs for a while, until eventually they cross the border and leave Seoul behind. Baekhyun had considered, for a little while, trying to steal a car, but the further they walk, the more glad he is they didn't. He's not sure what path the military convoys took, or how many people they managed to get out, but it's obvious they've crossed back into an area where people were left to their own devices. Many clearly didn't make it far. There are cars stopped in the middle of the streets, accidents, other debris... driving through any of this would be near impossible, probably draw too much attention and take more time than it's worth.

 

It doesn't take long for them to start running into infected again either. The first one they see is far away, too far to be any real threat, and they alter their path to avoid it, but just knowing it's there sets Baekhyun's nerves on edge. They keep away from any major population centers, sticking to alleys and side streets, trying to move towards a more rural area. Eventually, though, they run into one they can't avoid. Chanyeol sees it before he does and reacts quickly enough, pinning it to a wall and driving his knife straight through its forehead. It isn't much of a threat at all really, not compared to before when they were surrounded by them, and yet the incident still leaves Baekhyun's heart racing. He jumps at every little sound, hating being out in the open like this, not knowing what could jump out at them at any moment. He feels only a little better when they finally manage to get away from the urban sprawl, ending up on some dirt roads not terribly far from the highway, killing a few more infected along the way.

 

They're still close enough to the nearest city to get there easily if they need to, but this way their path is more open and their view isn't limited by a bunch of buildings. They keep walking along, taking out whatever infected manage to wander over from town or the highways, until sunset. Then they carefully make their way back to city territory, looking for a place to hole up in for the night. They settle on an apartment complex that looks relatively clear, managing to take out the few infected they find inside before locking up the entrances for the night, blocking the doors with furniture to be extra safe. They break into an apartment on the second floor, with a fire escape in case they need to climb down, and prepare for a very long night. Though the apartment has a bed, a kitchen, running water, even electricity still, it's nothing like their stay in the hotel. This time, there are infected roaming around right below their window, and they can't let their guard down for a second. Chanyeol takes first watch that night, but Baekhyun barely manages to get any sleep, not when he knows those things are out there. He expects it's not much different for Chanyeol when they switch. Either way, they make it through the night, and rested or not, they have to move on.

 

The next day goes relatively the same. They're not making as much progress as Baekhyun originally hoped, but he's not really surprised by that either. They're carrying a lot, they keep having to make detours to avoid wreckage or infected or whatever else, and they also have to stop to rest occasionally, especially as they find themselves having to fight more. Thankfully, they're still only running into a few at a time, or managing to stay away from any larger groups they do see, so the fighting isn't that bad. Nothing terribly dangerous yet, just tiring. Baekhyun finds he's more used to it by the end of the second day, less jumpy. He isn't entirely sure how to feel about that, but at least he's actually able to sleep a little on his turn that night. And god, does he need the rest.

 

The travel itself may be largely uneventful, random infected encounters aside, but his pregnancy is going in full force. Baekhyun spends almost their entire second day of travel feeling like he's going to vomit, and he has to come up with some excuse for why he barely eats anything when they stop for lunch. He holds it in until night time, when Chanyeol is sleeping, but he knows he won't be able to do that forever. The random dizzy spells aren't going away either, the heat only making it worse as they walk, and he finds himself struggling to stay on his feet more than once. He does his best to hide it, but Chanyeol isn't stupid, or blind, especially when it comes to him. Baekhyun knows he can tell something is wrong, he just hasn't said anything yet. He will. Most of all though, he's just tired. He's sure that even if he were getting a full eight hours of uninterrupted, stress free sleep every night, he'd still be tired. The way things are now? Baekhyun is completely exhausted, and they've only been traveling for a couple of days. He's not sure how he's going to hold out all the way to Busan, he just knows he has to.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally an update! We're very sorry for how long that took. We've both been very busy with school, traveling, personal life, etc., though I (byunbbhyun) am the one in charge of editing and posting so you can put most of the blame on me haha. I don't want to say too much until the end because I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say take the tags/warnings seriously. Thanks again for the support! Know that we read and adore all of your comments, even if we didn't get to replying. We'll try to be better about that, and I will do my best to make sure the next chapter is up much, much faster.

Day three on the road starts much the same as the other two. They walk for a while, killing a few infected before coming upon a small town. Around mid-afternoon, they find a post office to hide out in for a little while so they can take a break and eat something. Baekhyun was still feeling sick that morning - so much so that he thought he might actually have to give in and blow his cover - but now it's not so bad, and he manages to at least eat a small snack. He just hopes he can keep it down later. They finish up quickly, wanting to get back on the road again, and are just leaving the post office when they hear it: noises, scuffling and growling, from an alley around the corner. At first, they just start walking the other way as silently as possible, hoping they won't be noticed, but then Baekhyun catches something else. A grunt, a very human sounding one, followed by a few quiet gasps and whimpers. He stops, reaching out to catch Chanyeol's wrist. "Yeol," He whispers. "Listen... I think there's someone –" There's a loud noise, the clanging of metal hitting the ground. Baekhyun is fairly sure whoever it is just dropped their weapon, and the growling is getting louder, more intense by the second. "We can't just leave."

 

Chanyeol hates the idea of having to go close to the infected and risk it, most of all risk Baekhyun, but what he's saying is true. It does sound like there is someone there - alive, not infected - and they can't just leave someone to die like this. "Baek... stay behind me and get my back if anything?" He whispers, not wanting to get Baekhyun into whatever mess there is in that alley. They walk closer as quietly as possible, and soon a disturbing scene unfolds in front of them. There’s a boy, most likely a teenager, maybe in his early twenties, barely holding himself up standing on a large garbage container. He’s attempting to climb up a broken emergency staircase while three infected are trying to get to him, surrounding him completely. There’s no time so Chanyeol launches straight in, knife going right through the first one's skull. He's quick to pull it away and cut through the other two before anything can happen, though thank god there weren't more of them. The third one was already tricky enough, it noticed him and was way too close to attacking him. Chanyeol looks up at the boy once it’s done and extends his arm to help him get down. "You okay?"

 

Baekhyun's heart nearly stops when the third infected gets a bit too close for comfort, poised to jump in at any second if he needs to, but thankfully Chanyeol manages to take care of it just in time. Baekhyun checks around the alley as Chanyeol helps the boy down, making sure there are no others coming, or any other people. The boy is silent at first, looking understandably shaken, so Baekhyun turns to him with a little smile, asking a bit more softly. "Are you alright? What's your name?"

 

He looks between them, his expression a mix of shock and awe, though it shifts slightly into something unreadable when his gaze falls on Baekhyun. After a moment he seems to snap out of it though and takes Chanyeol’s hand, climbing down off the dumpster. “I’m good. My name is Tao.”

 

Baekhyun can’t help but notice that Tao directs his answer only at Chanyeol, even though he asked the question, but he shrugs it off for now. The guy was just in a rough situation and Chanyeol saved him, he probably feels more comfortable opening up to him. "Well, Tao, I'm Baekhyun, and this is Chanyeol..." He places a hand on his husband's arm as he introduces him. "Are you sure you're alright? No..." He hates to ask, and he doesn't see any obvious wounds, but they have to be careful. "No bites or anything?"

 

Tao is clearly uncomfortable with the question, and he still only looks at Chanyeol as he mutters, “I wasn’t bitten.”

 

Chanyeol raises an eyebrow, looking between Baekhyun and this... Tao guy. It's odd, the way he won't look at Baekhyun, almost as if he is... no, Chanyeol is probably just imagining things. He was just almost eaten by infected, he must be quite shaken. "Is there anywhere safe around here? Where were you going?" He asks instead, and Tao looks at him before pointing at the building to their left.

 

"I blocked the other entrances before going out, but who knows if there are any dead assholes going around. Better not go in without proper weapons... and my bat didn't do much of a good job killing them off earlier," he adds dejectedly.

 

"Yeah, I imagine not..." Baekhyun replies sympathetically, shuddering a little at the idea of trying to bash one of those things' heads in with a bat. He's really, really glad they kept a few weapons around after they retired. "Why don't we go in first then, make sure it's clear?" He suggests, glancing at Chanyeol for confirmation. He doesn't want to make any risky decisions alone, but he'd feel awful just leaving this kid to his own devices.

 

Chanyeol nods and picks up the bat, handing it to Tao. "Better something than nothing."

 

Tao takes it but doesn’t look too happy about it, and he jumps in surprise when the door creaks as Chanyeol opens it. Baekhyun can’t help feeling a bit bad for him. He really doesn’t seem cut out for this, but then again no one really was. Hopefully this place is safe enough for him to hide out in for a little while, at least. That’s as much as they can really do for him – there’s too much at stake to worry about anyone else for long.

 

Baekhyun follows Chanyeol inside, scanning carefully for any signs of movement, knife at the ready just in case. Tao steps quietly behind him, and it’s clear he’d rather be doing anything else, but Baekhyun has to give him credit for trying. There's nothing at first, but then they hear noises in another part of the building. He nods to Chanyeol, and the two of them quietly make their way forward, checking each room they come across in search of the source. Eventually they find it: a lone infected stumbling its way around, having crawled in through a broken window Tao must have missed. Chanyeol hurries to take care of it, making quick work of it with his knife. As dark as it sounds, they’re getting pretty used to this, and one on its own isn’t much of a problem.

 

Baekhyun listens for a moment after that for any other noises, in case there are more, but he hears nothing - at least, not until the growl is right behind him. There’s a second infected that they didn't see in the corner of the room, right by the door. He turns instantly to deal with it, but before he can do anything, there's a hand on his ankle, cold and rotting, pulling him down with a surprisingly strong grip. He hits the ground hard, the impact enough to knock the knife from his hand and send it skidding across the floor. The sudden drop also leaves him dazed, the world around him spinning for a moment and he curses, blindly kicking at its head with his other foot. He tries to get it to let go and keep its teeth away from him at the same time, but he can’t get it off and for a second he thinks it might be the end.

 

Chanyeol turns when he hears a thud, and his heart almost stops when he notices Baekhyun fighting off the infected on the floor. He rushes to it without hesitation, cutting the head off with one strong slash of his knife to get it off Baekhyun first, then sticks the knife right into its forehead to be safe. He looks around to make sure there are no more of them, but it's truly empty this time. He quickly kneels next to Baekhyun, terrified. This was close, and he can't... he can't even know if Baekhyun is really okay. It didn't... it couldn’t have bitten him, right? "Baek... Baekhyunnie, are you okay...? Did it...?"

 

"N-No..." Baekhyun stutters, trying to push himself up with shaky arms. He feels like he can barely breathe, heart racing... that was way too close, a second longer and his answer could have been different. "I mean... I'm okay, I think... it didn't... I'm okay."

 

Chanyeol carefully lifts the bottom of his pant leg a little, around the area that thing grabbed just now, but it's clean. Not a scratch. He sighs in relief, reaching out to pick up the knife Baekhyun dropped just in case. He still doesn't completely trust this Tao guy, not enough to just leave it on the floor. "Come here..." He says quietly. Baekhyun is shaking, and honestly Chanyeol kind of is too, but he needs to be strong right now. He pulls Baekhyun into a tight hug, murmuring softly. "Shhh... it's okay... it's okay now..."

 

Baekhyun clings to Chanyeol, burying his face in his husband's chest, needing a moment to collect himself. They've had a few frightening moments before now, but it doesn't get easier, and this one was particularly bad. He thought they'd checked the room well enough, he thought it was just the one, but... Baekhyun shivers, gripping Chanyeol's shirt tighter. He's going to be a lot more paranoid about entering rooms from now on, that's for sure.

 

"Baekhyunnie, love... it's gone now... it's gone..." Chanyeol holds him close, unable to let go, not wanting to even think that he just almost... _almost_ lost him again. He can't. He can't let himself break now. He presses his lips to the crown of Baekhyun's head. "It's okay... you're okay..." He isn't even sure who he's reassuring anymore, probably both of them really, but he’s so focused on Baekhyun that he almost forgets there's someone else there with them. He jumps slightly when Tao clears his throat and looks up at him questioningly. "Everything okay there?"

 

“No,” Tao replies simply, though it seems like he’s holding back. “Let’s keep going.”

 

Baekhyun takes a few deep breaths to calm himself, attempting a smile as he reluctantly pulls away from Chanyeol’s hold. "Yeol, it's alright, I'm okay..." He'd nearly forgotten they were with someone else too, but they can't really just sit here holding each other forever, as much as he'd like to. "He's right, we probably shouldn't stay here if it's not secure... though..." Baekhyun turns to look at Tao, frowning slightly. "Didn't you say you were hiding out in here? What are you going to do now?"

 

“I have no fucking idea! I was trying to go through here to the next building when they attacked me, there’s a passage here that leads there but… I needed food… a proper weapon… that’s why I went out, but getting back…” Tao breaks off, seemingly on the verge of tears. “I don’t want to die… I only came here from China to study, I don’t want to die here!” He cries, voice shaking. “There’s a basement in the other building… it’s enough to keep them out, but I needed to get food and water and…” He chokes back a sob. “It’s so hard…”

 

Chanyeol is a little taken aback by the sudden outburst, something about it seeming a bit melodramatic, but maybe it’s just him. "Alright..." He points at the backpack Tao is carrying. "I'm guessing you got the food part covered before we found you, so let's get you back to that basement."

 

Tao nods, timidly gesturing at the door. "Could you… please go in first? If... if they did manage to get through, my bat isn’t enough…”

 

Chanyeol frowns, almost wanting to kick the kid and knock some sense into him. He’ll never survive on his own if he’s that afraid… but he reminds himself Tao is still quite young, and their reality _has_ gone upside down in just a few days. He can’t really judge him that badly, and he doesn't want Baekhyun to risk it either, so he sighs and steps forward. "Alright. I'll go first. Stay close behind."

 

Baekhyun can tell from Chanyeol's expression that he's not feeling the sob story, and really, he doesn't like it either. He's sure that Tao has had a hard time, he can understand that, but the whole thing seems like a little too much out of nowhere. He definitely doesn't like the way Tao just volunteered Chanyeol either, but... maybe he's just being a bit overprotective. Considering what just happened he's not too keen on putting his husband at risk, but he knows Chanyeol wouldn't let him do it either, and both of them are much better armed than Tao. So, for now, he doesn't say anything, quietly following along and watching Chanyeol’s back. Unfortunately, he realizes too late that he should have been watching his own.

 

It all happens so fast – Baekhyun is turning to make sure Tao is still behind him when suddenly something slams into his side, knocking the air from his lungs and dropping him to his knees. He gasps in pain, knife falling from his hand as he clutches at his stomach, arms curling around it instinctively. He doesn't even fully register what happened at first, not until he sees Tao standing above him with the bat, reaching for the knife with a smirk on his face. Baekhyun knows he should try to do something, stop him, but all he can think about is how much it hurts, tears springing to his eyes at the mere thought... _the baby_ _._

 

Chanyeol hears Baekhyun's gasp and turns around sharply, scared that there's an infected tailing them or whatever it might be. He definitely does not expect to see Baekhyun on the ground holding his stomach while Tao tries to steal his knife. Chanyeol takes out his gun and rushes to them as fast as he can, pointing it right at Tao. "I. Will. Not. Hesitate. Get the fuck away. Drop the fucking knife and get the hell out before I blow your brains out."

 

Tao looks between the gun and the knife before letting it go, groaning in despair. He wants their supplies, but he wants his life more, and Chanyeol looks like he’d actually do it. He glares. “You fucking fags. That’s what you are. I put up with your disgusting bullshit for this long and you couldn’t even spare an extra knife for a helpless kid. Go ahead, keep it all to yourself! I hope you die out here, the world doesn’t need your kind in it.”

 

Chanyeol rolls his eyes, how does this jerk even have the nerve...? "I said get the fuck out of my sight. I have a gun and I don't mind using it."

 

“Fine…” Tao doesn’t need to be told again, spitting a few more curses at them as he runs off.

 

Chanyeol hurries to Baekhyun's side as soon as Tao leaves. "Baek... are you okay...? Hey..."

 

Baekhyun shakes his head, a million thoughts running through his mind. "No, no, I'm..." He groans when he feels a sharp pain run through his abdomen. His stomach is sore from the hit, but this is different, like the minor cramps he's been experiencing here and there except way more intense. It terrifies him. "Yeol..." Baekhyun sobs, reaching for his husband with one hand, the other still holding his stomach. God, this can't... _the baby, the baby_... it's all he can think, and he doesn't even realize he's saying it out loud.

 

"The..." Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun in confusion. What is he saying? "Baekhyunnie... what...? Baby...?" He doesn’t understand, is Baekhyun hurt that bad? He wasn't bitten earlier right? He doesn't have a fever... no... he isn't hallucinating, so...?

 

"What do you mean?" Baekhyun asks, slightly hysterical. "Our baby, Chanyeol!" It takes a few more seconds for rational thought to kick in before he realizes exactly what he's said. For a brief moment, he actually forgot Chanyeol didn't know. Baekhyun lets out something halfway between a laugh and a sob. This is not how he wanted to tell him, but he's too scared for it to matter anymore, and if something is wrong, Chanyeol deserves to know. "I'm pregnant..." He whispers finally, more tears spilling out, heart clenching in pain along with his stomach now that he's said the word out loud.

 

"Oh god... oh my god... Baekhyun..." Chanyeol feels like the whole world is spinning around him. O _ur baby.... pregnant?_ He places his other hand on Baekhyun's, the one that's on his stomach. "Baekhyunnie..." He isn't sure what to think, it couldn't have been three days ago... Baekhyun wouldn't know... he couldn't... no... did he...? And then he remembers, back in the park… Baekhyun was about to tell him something. And then again, he kept wanting to and couldn't... he understands. It must have been horrible. Chanyeol knows his husband well enough to know how he must have felt, and then when they were in the hotel... that must have been the reason he said it was okay and was so sure of it. He couldn't get pregnant, because he already was. A wave of guilt comes onto him, he talked about protection back then... about being careful... like he didn't... like he wouldn't want that... is that why...? "Baekhyunnie..." He feels tears rolling down his cheeks before he can register it.

 

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Yeol..." Baekhyun says quietly, voice breaking. "I should have told you sooner, I know, but... it was... I couldn't... and now... what if he... w-what if h-he..." He chokes on the words, "What if he hurt them?"

 

"No... no no no no... Baekhyunnie it's alright... it's alright. He couldn't have... no... no... our baby must be okay..." Chanyeol doesn't want to think about it. He really doesn't. It wasn't a hard blow, right? It wasn't... it couldn't have been...

 

Baekhyun nods, wanting more than anything to believe that. "It hurts..." He admits, voice barely even a whisper, wincing when another painful cramp hits with perfect timing. "But that doesn't have to mean... it has to be okay, right?" He knows that cramping and contractions can happen for a lot of reasons, it doesn't _have_ to mean something is wrong. There would be other signs too, and he doesn't feel any of those. Logically, he knows the baby is well protected at this stage, too small to be hurt by anything from outside, but it’s hard not to worry when there’s no way to be sure. He tries his best to calm down, telling himself it must be fine. If it weren't... "I'd know, wouldn't I...?"

 

"Yeah..." Chanyeol squeezes his hand. "You would..." He gently strokes Baekhyun's other hand on his stomach. "I... we need to get you somewhere safe." Chanyeol considers their options for a moment. That Tao kid is definitely not coming back here now, he was too scared of the gun. Outside is full of infected and it's starting to get dark which is going to make it worse... he isn't sure it's even okay for Baekhyun to travel until they make sure he's really alright, as much as they can at least. "Baekhyunnie... can you stand...?"

 

"Yeah, I think so..." Baekhyun feels a bit shaky, but otherwise okay besides the stomach pain. He's not running any marathons at the moment, but he's pretty sure he can walk a little if he needs to.

 

"Come here... lean on me. There's nothing out in the front, I don’t think there’s a basement either... nothing there at all. That asshole just wanted to get you alone. I'm sorry Baekhyunnie..." Chanyeol helps Baekhyun get up and carefully walks him through the building, they need to get out of here before infected do come. He peeks out to make sure nothing is waiting for them outside, and it really is starting to get dark... they better hurry. They thankfully manage to sneak quietly without any encounters, there are few infected wandering around but they're far enough not to be immediate danger. They eventually find shelter a few streets further down, in a neighborhood of private houses, figuring it'd be easier to check those than to go floor by floor on a large building. They find one that the owners didn't bother locking so they walk in and close the door, Chanyeol keeping Baekhyun close to him, holding him up as he checks to make sure nothing is lurking inside. It's empty. He pushes some furniture in front of the door to make sure nothing gets in and helps Baekhyun lie down on the couch. It's better to stay together and Chanyeol needs to keep guarding the door, so they stay in the living room. He closes off the blinds everywhere and makes sure they only have a dim light on before going back to Baekhyun's side. "How are you feeling...?"

 

"Alright..." Baekhyun winces as he adjusts his position on the couch a little, though this time it's from his sore abs and not the cramps. He lifts his shirt to check and sure enough, even in the dim light he can see a large bruise starting to form across his stomach. "It doesn't hurt that much anymore, so I'll take that as a good sign..." The pain scared him at first, it still does to an extent, but it calmed down a bit on their walk over and he hasn't noticed anything else. As far as he can tell, he doesn't think he's bleeding or anything, so he can only hope that means everything is okay. Mostly, he's just exhausted and shaken, mentally and physically, from everything that just happened. He sits up a little to get a better look at the bruise, but the movement has his head spinning, a wave of nausea flaring up. "Ugh..." He groans, laying back down. "I feel sick... I'll take that as a good sign too..." Baekhyun doesn't really know if that's how it works, but he hopes so. If he keeps experiencing normal pregnancy symptoms, all he can do is assume that it's fine. At least he doesn't have to lie to Chanyeol about it anymore.

 

Chanyeol gently wipes sweat off Baekhyun's forehead, brushing his hair away from his eyes. "Need anything? Water...? Or anything else...?" He’s worried, and the sight of that bruise has him furious again, half regretting he didn't just finish that kid off, but he knows he wouldn't have. Hopefully karma will do its work. For now, what's important is that Baekhyun is okay... well, as much as he can be. And that they're together... both alive and together.

 

"No, I'm fine..." All Baekhyun really wants right now is Chanyeol, anything else can wait. "I'm sorry for not telling you..." He says quietly. "I kept trying to, I knew I should, but I couldn't bring myself to say it... not like this, not when everything is..." He shakes his head, regretting it a little when it makes him dizzier. "I found out two days before my birthday, I was going to surprise you with it then, at dinner that night. Of course, I got so excited when we were out I decided I couldn't wait, but then, well..." Baekhyun smiles sadly. "You know the rest."

 

Chanyeol takes his hand, lacing their fingers together. "It's okay. Baekhyunnie, love... it's okay. I understand..." He kneels next to the couch, smiling a little. "It's going to be okay... I'm going to keep you both safe..." He says it quietly, but he means it with all of his heart. This hell will end one day, they have to believe that. They'll make it. All three of them. "I... I know it's not the greatest of times, but... that doesn't make me less happy now... you know that?" He places his free hand on Baekhyun's cheek.

 

"Are you really? Happy?" Baekhyun doesn't mean to doubt him, of course not, but he also knows Chanyeol will always put his happiness first, will say whatever he needs to hear to feel better. Without even realizing he reaches up with his other hand to touch his necklace, playing with it nervously. He’s found himself doing that a lot, clutching at it like an anchor, a reminder of their bond and the promises they made that night in the hotel. "Because I... I want to be, I do, but honestly... I don't know how to feel. I've been thinking about it constantly for the past few days and I still don't know. Everything is such a mess now, and I'm just going to burden you like this..."

 

"Baek... Baekhyunnie look at me..." Chanyeol bites his lower lip, he knows Baekhyun enough to know what must be going through his mind right now, has probably been for the past few days. "It doesn't matter. Everything... it's all going to be okay... we'll figure it out. Nothing about you... you'd never be a burden to me... _never_. I love you... I _am_ happy... it's going to be hard, you're right, but... " He smiles, pressing his hand, as gently as possible not to hurt him, to Baekhyun's stomach. "We've been waiting... we've been trying... I..." He shakes his head. "Thank you..."

 

"There's nothing to thank me for... " But the words do make Baekhyun smile, just a little. It's been hard to think positively the past few days, but he knows Chanyeol is right. They'll figure it out somehow, they always do. They have to. It's the only option. He places his hand over Chanyeol's on his stomach, squeezing lightly. "I love you too... both of you, so much. And I know you're right... we'll make it, I can't let myself think otherwise."

 

Chanyeol nods. "That's right..." He leans down, pressing his lips to Baekhyun's hand. "You have to promise me though... if anything is ever wrong, even if it holds us back or whatever... you have to tell me. Okay? Don't put yourself at risk, Baekhyunnie... there's enough of that anyway." He smiles then, tears in his eyes as the reality starts to sink in. "I can't believe it... we're... we're having a baby...”

 

"Yeah..." Baekhyun's smile widens, actually letting himself feel truly happy about it for the first time in days. How can he not, when Chanyeol is looking at him like that? "Yeah, we are..." He laughs. "It happened sooner than we thought, didn't it? I couldn't believe it either when I saw the test."

 

"I bet you didn't..." Chanyeol laughs too. "I thought... I thought you'd run to tell me right away when you did... we... we wanted this so bad... still do..." He says quietly with a little smile.

 

"I was going to..." Baekhyun still feels guilty for hiding it, but he knows making him feel bad wasn't Chanyeol's intent. "You weren't home, and I swear I almost ran to the restaurant and shouted it to everyone. But then I thought it should be a special occasion, and we already had one all planned out... what would it hurt to wait two days? Apparently, the universe just wasn't on my side with that one."

 

Chanyeol smiles. "It's okay.... this is probably the best surprise I could have asked for in days... well, I mean, that and if somebody found a solution to our friendly problem…" He chuckles. "I love you Baekhyunnie... so much..." He smiles. "Both of you." He spends a few moments just looking at Baekhyun, something he can never get enough of... he's still a little pale and it's understandable, but he should probably get some rest. "Do you want to sleep...? You must be exhausted."

 

"I am..." Baekhyun admits. Normally he'd probably try to argue, but he's still not feeling very well, and he knows the amount of stress he went through today isn't good for the baby at all. Whether he likes it or not, he does need to rest. "Sleep is probably a good idea. But not too long, okay? You need rest too..."

 

"Don't worry about it..." Chanyeol leans to kiss Baekhyun's forehead. "Sleep well Baekhyunnie... I love you..." He can't help but repeat it over and over again, he almost lost him today... he almost lost _both_ of them today and he didn't even know... he can't let that happen again. Never.

 

"Love you too... night Yeol..." Baekhyun mumbles the last part, closing his eyes. The couch isn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but he's far too tired to care. Unlike the past couple of nights, he's too emotionally drained to even try thinking about anything, and without his thoughts to keep him awake, he drifts off quickly.

 

Chanyeol keeps alert, making sure nothing is moving near them, looking through the tiny holes in the blinds and through the peephole in the door. There aren't any infected around them for now, which is good. He spends a few hours thinking. They're going to have a baby... they wanted this so bad, and... now is probably the worst timing possible, but it doesn't matter. They'll make it through. He's a little worried for when Baekhyun starts having more hardships though, especially since he probably won't be able to walk as much, and definitely won't be able to carry things. They'll just have to make it to Busan as soon as possible, before it gets worse. After a while he finds himself unable to hold sleep off anymore, so he places a hand to Baekhyun's cheek, whispering softly. "Baekhyunnie... my love, I'm sorry... I need you to wake up..."

 

Baekhyun really, really doesn't want to wake up, but he's gotten used to this over the past few days, so he forces himself awake anyway. He offers Chanyeol a sleepy half-smile, as he always does, the sight of his husband's face the one thing that makes it worth getting up in the first place. That, and their baby. Oh god, the baby. The memories of what happened yesterday come rushing back and he sits up in an instant, hand flying to his stomach, as if he could actually feel something there to tell him. He presses his other hand to his forehead, willing away the usual dizziness that accompanies moving too fast. His stomach aches from it too, but it's just from the bruise, not anything else thankfully. It's a weird thing to think, but he _feels_ pregnant... in fact, he feels very pregnant, good old morning sickness flaring up again. This time though, he's not sure he can hold back. "Yeol, I think I'm, uh..." He moves the hand he had on his forehead down to his mouth as the feeling intensifies, barely keeping it in.

 

Chanyeol grabs the basin he found earlier when he was walking around the house just to keep himself awake, figuring it would be useful to have near Baekhyun just in case, and places it in front of him. "Here... it's okay... it's okay..." He strokes Baekhyun's back.

 

Baekhyun knows the basin wasn't there before, and he'd smile at Chanyeol's thoughtfulness if he wasn't busy, well... throwing up. What a fun way to wake up. "Thanks, sorry..." He whispers when he's finished, voice a bit hoarse.

 

Chanyeol shakes his head. "Dummy... whatever you need. Let me get this away from you first." He chuckles, making his way to flush it down the toilet, rinsing the basin before going back to Baekhyun. "Are you sure you're okay though...?" He goes to check the kitchen, getting a glass of water for Baekhyun and handing it to him.

 

Baekhyun takes a few sips before responding, feeling a little better once he does. "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry..." He smiles. "Just part of the deal, unfortunately. I'm okay to keep watch, you can sleep."

 

"I know... but if anything... wake me up, okay?" Chanyeol smiles a little, helping Baekhyun up before settling on the couch himself. It's a bit too small for him, his legs not quite fitting but it doesn't matter, he's way too tired.

 

"I will..." Baekhyun leans down and runs his fingers gently through Chanyeol's hair. "Get some rest, love."

 

Chanyeol falls asleep smiling, the feeling of his husband's fingers running through his hair relaxing him completely and putting him to sleep in seconds.

 

Baekhyun spends most of the next few hours trying not to be sick again, and he has a terrible feeling that the nausea is just going to get worse from here on out. He'd done some reading in preparation when they started trying, and while he has no way to be sure he thinks he’s somewhere around six weeks, maybe a bit more. Sounds like just the right timing for the 'morning' sickness to be kicking in full force. The bright side is that it helps keep him awake, and if he's lucky, it will go away before they have to start moving again. If he has to deal with it, he'd much rather it be now than when they're traveling, or worse, in the middle of a fight. Other than having the basin glued to his side – and needing to use it once more – his watch is mostly uneventful. He does see a few infected, tensing and holding his breath every time, but none of them come too close or try to get in.

 

Baekhyun uses the time in between those sightings to think. Yesterday was... frightening, to say the least. In some ways, he can't help blaming himself. He was the one who suggested they stop to begin with, after all. Not that he doesn't think Chanyeol would have, neither of them are the types who could just leave someone like that, but still. In the end, Baekhyun was the one who said it, who kept offering to help a stranger, and it could have cost them so much... hell, he has no way to be one hundred percent sure it _didn't_. Everything feels alright, and he hopes that he would at least know. He should be able to tell if something is wrong, but without a doctor, without proper medical equipment, there's no certainty in any of it. He hates that, but he supposes it's just all the more reason to get to Busan as quickly as possible.

 

There are no doctors out here anymore, but if there are any left they'll be there, and he's going to need one to safely deliver the baby, any other complications aside. If nothing else, they've at least learned a valuable lesson about trusting strangers in this new chaotic world. Not that they even really trusted him, but Baekhyun knows now they should have been more careful, paid more attention to the strange vibes they got from him. They won't make that mistake again. And now that Chanyeol knows, he's sure to be even more protective than usual. Baekhyun is still worried about his husband pushing himself too much, especially as the pregnancy progresses, but despite his initial fears he is glad he knows now. As much has he hadn't wanted to burden Chanyeol with the same worries, being able to share them and not feel so alone has Baekhyun feeling much better about the whole thing than he did a few days ago. Chanyeol is happy, they're together, they both want this... it doesn't matter how hard the circumstances they're facing are, there's not a chance in hell they're giving up. They will get through this. Baekhyun repeats that to himself until the sun rises, and he can't delay waking Chanyeol up anymore. He's tempted to let him keep sleeping, but they can't afford to waste too many daylight hours. He sets aside the basin and stands from his seat, grateful when his stomach doesn't turn at the movement. "Chanyeol..." He kneels by the couch, gently shaking his husband's shoulder. "It's morning, love."

 

Chanyeol wakes up abruptly, jumping up almost ready to attack, eyes wide open until he can focus enough to see it's just Baekhyun... it's Baekhyun, and he's alive. He had a horrible nightmare... there were too many of them, they were surrounded and Chanyeol couldn't... and they got to Baekhyun. "Baek..." He says, voice hoarse and breathless, reaching out for his hand, needing to make sure this is real. Baekhyun is okay. "You're okay..."

 

Baekhyun is surprised by the reaction, but he quickly realizes what must have happened. "Yeah, I'm okay, I'm right here..." He says soothingly, squeezing Chanyeol's hand. "We're all okay... bad dream?"

 

"Y-Yeah..." Chanyeol swallows, still trying to catch his breath. "You... I... I couldn't..." He shakes his head, pulling Baekhyun into his arms. "You're okay..."

 

"Shhh, it's okay..." Baekhyun hugs him tightly, gently rubbing his back. "I'm fine, Yeol, it was just a dream."

 

Chanyeol tightens his hold a little, pressing his face into Baekhyun's shoulder, inhaling his scent... it's mostly just sweat but it's still Baekhyun... it's comforting... it's home. "Okay... okay..." He murmurs shakily. "I'm sorry."

 

"It's okay, don't apologize..." Baekhyun turns his head, pressing his lips to Chanyeol's neck lightly. "Are you alright?"

 

"Yeah..." Chanyeol whispers, comforted by the feeling of Baekhyun's lips on his neck. "I-I'm okay... how... how are you feeling...?"

 

"A little sick..." Baekhyun admits reluctantly, still a bit worried about Chanyeol and his dream. "But it's not too bad, nothing to worry about. Otherwise, I feel fine... I mean, nothing seems off at least."

 

"That... that's good..." Chanyeol doesn't want to pull away but he knows they need to get moving. "Let's see if there is anything edible here before we get going."

 

"Yeol..." Baekhyun knows they should, but he can hear it in Chanyeol's voice, that he's still bothered, and he can't just let it go. "Are you sure you're okay?"

 

"I... yeah... I'm okay... it was just a dream, right? I'm sorry if I scared you... it's just... you... I... I can't say it... " He can't bring himself to say that Baekhyun died.

 

"I know..." Baekhyun doesn't need to hear it, Chanyeol's reaction is telling enough. He pulls away a little so he can properly look into Chanyeol's eyes. "That's not going to happen, okay? You said it yourself, we're going to make it through this and everything is going to be fine. You and me together, that's the only way... I'm not leaving you alone, not in a million years, got it?"

 

Tears are spilling from Chanyeol's eyes before he can even realize he's crying and he's quite ashamed that he is so affected by a dream, but... it all... it all felt too real, and he can't shake that horrible feeling off. "Baekhyunnie... I'm s-sorry... I know that... I know... we're going... we're going to do j-just fine..."

 

Baekhyun leans in to hug him tightly again, wanting to provide as much comfort as he can. He understands... he's just as scared, but he can only imagine how much worse it is to see it played out in a dream. Dreams can feel so real, and the truth is, their reality probably isn't far off from whatever Chanyeol saw in his nightmare. "We are, I know we are... but it's okay to be afraid too... I know I am... don't apologize for that. My Yeollie... it's okay..."

 

Chanyeol holds onto Baekhyun as if his life depends on it, and honestly it kind of does. He takes a few deep breaths, listening to Baekhyun's voice, letting his words and touch comfort him. It takes a few minutes for him to finally calm down, as much as possible. He can't let himself break down like this, he can't. He slowly pulls away and takes Baekhyun's hand in his. "Let's... let's find some food now..." He tries to smile a little, he's okay now. They both are and will be.

 

"Yeah, come on..." Baekhyun offers the most reassuring smile he can in return, before leading Chanyeol into the kitchen. "I'm sure there's something in here." They'd both been too tired to look around much last night, and Baekhyun hadn't felt much like searching on his own, but considering it's only been a few days and electricity is still running, he's sure they can find something. It doesn't look like anyone else has been through this house since whoever owned it left, and he doubts they could have taken all the food. Not that he particularly feels like eating, but he knows he needs to.

 

Chanyeol isn't ready to let go of Baekhyun's hand just yet, so he keeps holding it as Baekhyun leads him to the kitchen and doesn't let go even when they start looking for food. He opens the fridge, it's still working so whatever food that's in it should be mostly okay, and there are a few containers inside. One of them has cooked rice, and it smells okay when he gets it out, so they could use that... there are eggs and kimchi... he guesses... probably... "How about I fix us some quick kimchi fried rice? Would you be okay? Or should we get something else...?"

 

"No, that sounds fine... thanks Yeol." Baekhyun appreciates the consideration, though thankfully he hasn't noticed any aversion to particular foods or smells yet, just to food in general when the nausea hits. He hopes it stays that way... he can't really afford to be picky about anything now, least of all food.

 

Chanyeol is still reluctant to let go of Baekhyun, but he needs to cook so he does. Kimchi fried rice is easy and fast which is good for them right now, and he fries eggs to go with it, moving everything to bowls when he's finished and serving them on the dining table. "Let's eat now... I hope it's okay...?"

 

Baekhyun raises an eyebrow at the question. "Are you really asking me that? About your cooking?"

 

"I mean... I've read... when we were still trying... I mean... I've read tastes could change and... and... all those things... I don't know..." Chanyeol flushes.

 

"You're sweet..." Baekhyun smiles. His husband really is the cutest sometimes. He knows if things were different, Chanyeol would be catering to every single one of his cravings, making sure none of the things he doesn't like get anywhere near their kitchen... it makes him a little sad to think of the experience they're missing out on, but... maybe one day. "It's true, but I'm alright for now, don't worry. If there's anything I really can't stand, I'll tell you."

 

"Okay..." Chanyeol smiles a little as they both sit down. "Dig in then."

 

Baekhyun feels strange, eating at someone else's dinner table, but it is what it is. He can only hope the owners are somewhere safe, and not outside waiting to eat _them_. The food is good though, enough to get his appetite back once he forces the first few bites down. It helps that he hasn't had a proper meal in a little while, and he manages to finish the entire bowl. Now, if he can just keep it down for the rest of the day, he'll call that a win.

 

They finish eating quietly, and Chanyeol is happy to see Baekhyun eating, actually finishing his food. He can't help but smile. When they're done, just about to get their belongings, he stops for a moment. "How is your stomach...?"

 

"It's alright..." Baekhyun smiles a little at the concern. "A bit sore, that's all."

 

"Show me...?" Chanyeol asks. He trusts Baekhyun, but he knows that sometimes he tends to play strong, and he really doesn't like what happened yesterday.

 

Baekhyun nods, hesitantly lifting his shirt so Chanyeol can see. There's no point in hiding it, he knows that, he just doesn't want Chanyeol to worry too much. He hasn't actually looked at it much himself since last night, so he's not entirely sure how bad it is, but it definitely feels bruised.

 

Chanyeol has to bite his lower lip when he actually sees it, it looks horrible. "God... if I ever see that bastard again..." He kneels down, pressing a kiss to a patch of skin that isn't bruised, just because he can, just because he wants to. "My poor Baekhyunnie..." He presses a few more light kisses around the bruised area before getting up again. "Promise you'll tell me if anything hurts too much?" He cups Baekhyun's cheeks and looks straight into his eyes.

 

Baekhyun's heart flutters at the kisses... even after all these years, Chanyeol can still do that to him. "I will, I promise."

 

"Let's go now..." He presses a soft kiss to Baekhyun's lips before they pull away and get their things. He moves the furniture away from the door and peeks through the peephole. It looks rather empty from here, but they still make sure to hold out their knives when they walk out. Chanyeol goes first, making sure the way is clear. There are some infected around, he can see them far off and he figures there will probably be more as they go, so they have to stay as alert as they can. They make it through to the road before noon without too many incidents, though they do have to fight off a few infected. They end up needing to run a little towards the end, but they manage escaping just fine and get to a rather clear main road just outside the town. "Are you okay...?" Chanyeol asks once they are far enough.

 

It takes Baekhyun a few more seconds to catch his breath, winded from running... he finds that happens a lot easier these days, but he can't do anything except push through when their lives are on the line. "Yeah... yeah, I'm good... at least we have a clearer path now."

 

"Come here..." Chanyeol takes Baekhyun's hand, holding it tight. "Lean on me if you need to... and drink some water..."

 

Baekhyun shakes his head. "I'm alright, we need to be careful about how much water we use."

 

Chanyeol looks at him sternly. "Baekhyun. Drink. If we need more water, I'll get us more water. You can't allow yourself to push your limits that much. Baekhyunnie..." His expression softens. "For both of you, drink... okay?"

 

Baekhyun sighs. Of course he can't argue with that, and Chanyeol knows it. "Okay, okay..." He brings his bag around to the front for a moment so he can get a water bottle out, opening it and taking a few sips. It does make him feel a bit better, it's a hot day and they've had an active morning, though he stops himself from drinking as much as he'd like to. He doesn't like the idea of Chanyeol having to go out of his way to get extra things for him, take more risks than necessary, even if he knows he probably needs it.

 

"Baekhyun..." Chanyeol frowns, waiting for him to drink more. "Please..."

 

"Yeol..." But Baekhyun knows Chanyeol means well, he can't blame him for being worried, so he concedes and drinks a little more before closing the bottle and putting it away. "I'm good for now, I promise."

 

Chanyeol smiles a little. "Good..." He takes Baekhyun's hand again, holding it tight in his as they keep walking. There’s still a long journey ahead of them, but together, he knows they can make it. They have to, because the other possibilities are too much to bear.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We talked about this part a lot and decided in the end to keep this fic strictly EXO, which means someone had to fill that role, so I'm sorry to any Tao fans out there. This is purely fic and we do not mean to say anything bad about him in real life, so I hope no one is offended or anything! Also, I'm realizing we put Baekhyun through a lot in this, oops. Don't worry, Chanyeol will get his turn too. And a note, I don't recall if we ever said it in the fic, but I don't think there's any harm in saying it here since Baekhyun briefly mentioned the restaurant. After retiring from their military careers a few years prior to the start of the fic, Chanyeol became a chef and Baekhyun works at a daycare. Just a fun fact!


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